Donald Trump has accused Scottish Government ministers of “lying” about his organisation’s past support for windfarms.
Mr Trump said politicians “had to be kidding” about claims his lawyers wrote to energy company Vattenfall in 2010 backing “appropriately located” turbines.
Vattenfall is one of the organisations behind the £200million European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre — an 11-turbine development planned off the coast of Aberdeen, close to Mr Trump’s golf course at Menie Estate.
In the letter – which was copied to the first minister and planning officials – lawyers for the Trump Organisation said they fully supported “efforts being made . . . to achieve ambitious national tar-gets to meet 20% of Scotland’s energy demand from renewable sources by 2020”.
The letter continued: “Our clients support proposals for appropriately located windfarms and ultimately wish your projects every success.”
Mr Trump denied pledging his support, saying he would have never built his golf course in the north-east of Scotland if he had known about plans to erect turbines off the coast.
“If they’re saying that, then they’re lying,” he said.
“They knew right from the beginning that if there was going to be so-called wind power – which is, by the way, a very poor form of energy – we wouldn’t have done the job.
“We’ve proven that, and we will be able to prove it very easily.”