DONALD Trump has had his status as a business ambassador for Scotland withdrawn by Nicola Sturgeon following the presidential candidate's inflammatory comments about Muslims.
The Scottish Government said that the business tycoon, whose mother was born in Stornoway, was no longer fit to be part of the GlobalScot business network which he joined in 2006.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: "Mr Trump’s recent remarks have shown that he is no longer fit to be a business ambassador for Scotland and the First Minister has decided his membership of the respected GlobalScot business network should be withdrawn with immediate effect."
The move the revoke Mr Trump's membership of the GlobalScot network is another sign of the deterioration in his once-friendly relationship with the devolved Government in Edinburgh.
GlobalScot status was first conferred on Mr Trump when Jack McConnell was Labour First Minister, while he described Alex Salmond as an "amazing man" in 2008 when the then SNP Scottish Government intervened in controversial plans to build a golf course and luxury hotel in Aberdeenshire.
The pair later fell out over plans to develop an offshore wind farm near to the development, with Mr Trump claiming the then-First Minister and SNP leader told him over an intimate dinner in New York that the turbines would not be built.
Lord McConnell, while he was First Minister, tried to create a unique honour in honour of Mr Trump by making him a "platinum" member of the GlobalScot network of influential pro-Scottish business people but saw the request rebuffed by officials.
Mr Trump, who also has an honorary degree from Robert Gordon University, has regularly boasted of his ancestral links to Scotland. His mother, Mary MacLeod, grew up in a croft on the Isle of Lewis until she landed in Manhattan at the age of 20.
He has said that when embarking on a new golfing enterprise in Europe, Scotland was his first choice due to his heritage, and has attributed his success in business in part to his roots.
Upon making Mr Trump a GlobalScot, Lord McConnell said: "Donald has shown me a real passion for Scotland. He is a globally recognised figure who can help us to promote Scotland. I am delighted that he has taken up my offer. This is a good bit of business for all concerned."
At the time, Mr Trump said: "I am also very pleased to have been asked to join the Globalscot network. For a long time I've been aware that Scottish people are fiercely proud of Scotland and that they like to help their fellow countrymen."
In 2012, Green Party co-convenor Partick Harvie urged the SNP Government to strip "rich American windbag" Mr Trump of his GlobalScot status following his vociferous opposition to the Aberdeenshire offshore windfarm. Then, the Scottish Government said the move would not "send out the right signal or serve any purpose".
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