BALMEDIE, Scotland (AP) – Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is well known in this serene coastal section of Scotland, where shimmering, golden sand dunes meet the ice-blue North Sea and people play on his golf course. He’s known in the Himalayas, too, far from any sign with his name on it. And in the Middle East, Africa and beyond.
His is clearly a recognized name worldwide, which is not to say it’s a beloved one.
In Balmedie, the real estate mogul is both praised and blamed for building a deluxe international golf course in a previously pristine spot. Some believe he’s delivered the jobs and benefits he promised; others think American voters should beware of a fast-talking scoundrel.
“He is a strange fish,” said Susan Munro, a part-time shop worker who has lived on land adjacent to the new Trump resort for more than 35 years. “If he doesn’t get his own way, he just loses it.” As she sees it, “He would be a disaster for everyone.”
In diverse parts of the world, many see Trump’s high-flying candidacy with a mixture of bemusement, astonishment and alarm. It’s striking how many people know of him at all.