Donald Trump is threatening to pull his investment plans in Scotland - worth over $1 billion - if Britain bans the presidential candidate from entering the country because of previous comments he made regarding Muslim foreigners being barred from the United States.
In light of continuous criticisms from British politicians, Trump fired back against critics on Wednesday. The Trump Organization released a statement saying that it would let go of its plans to invest approximately $1.03 billion in Scotland if the government bars him from entering the country.
The comments Trump made late last year caused such a controversy to the point that a petition, created by Suzanne Kelly, called to ban the real estate developer from Britain "on the basis of laws against hate speech."
Over 571,000 Brits signed the petition, making it that much easier for the Parliament to take it under consideration. The debate on the issue will be discussed on January 18, as the final decision will be left to Home Secretary Theresa May. The New York Times reports:
"Although members of Parliament will debate the relative benefits and risks of barring a potential future president of the United States from entering the country, the final decision rests with Home Secretary Theresa May, from the governing Conservative Party."
The government made an official response to the petition, saying that it "has a policy of not routinely commenting on individual immigration or exclusion cases."
On the other hand, Prime Minister David Cameron has criticized Trump's comments as "divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong," as reported by BBC.
Prior to Trump's latest comments, the Republican presidential candidate's comments had already caused a stir in Scotland. This resulted in first minister Nicola Sturgeon's decision to revoke Trump's status as a business ambassador.
Trump already has several investments in Scotland, which include the Trump International Golf Links, a gold course located near Aberdeen, and Trump Turnberry, a luxury resort on the coast of Ayrshire.
Donald Trump net worth is $4.5 billion.