Why all the legal threats in the world couldn’t stop You’ve Been Trumped Too After he exposed the impact of Donald Trump’s luxury golf developments on those living nearby in You’ve Been Trumped and A Dangerous […]

After he exposed the impact of Donald Trump’s luxury golf developments on those living nearby in You’ve Been Trumped and A Dangerous Game, Anthony Baxter explains why all the legal threats in the world couldn’t stop him from making a timely follow-up

Molly Forbes is 92. She lives with her son Michael in the shadow of the Trump International Golf Links in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire.

Since Donald Trump purchased a chunk of the nearby Menie estate in 2006, Molly and her son claim that they have been harassed and harangued by the presidential candidate’s well resourced legal team, in an attempt to steer the pair from their home.

In 2011, film-maker Anthony Baxter chronicled this ongoing battle in his documentary You’ve Been Trumped, followed in 2014 by A Dangerous Game, which picked up the same story and added a European context by covering a similarly controversial development near Dubrovnik in Croatia.

The i newsletter latest news and analysis Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

Baxter – who lives 50 miles from Balmedie in Montrose – is now delivering a third film on the subject.

“Trump’s trying to shut the film down, so we are keen to get the film out to as many people as we can” Anthony Baxter

You’ve Been Trumped Too studies the aftermath of the dispute, and the everyday reality for Molly, Michael and their fellow residents.

In the latest twist, Trump’s representatives have threatened legal action against any cinemas that screen the film. These threats, however, have only made Baxter more determined than ever to release it.

“Trump’s trying to shut the film down, so we are keen to get the film out to as many people as we can,” he says. “We’re making plans to live stream the film for free across the US via Facebook.”

So what it is really like to go toe to toe with the bombastic billionaire?

Getting the film out

Trump has often been accused of flexing his financial muscles in order to force his opponents into silence. Most recently the American Bar Association chose not to release a report on Trump’s tendency to sue critics, for fear of being sued themselves.

Baxter knows more than most what it’s like to stare down the barrel of the Trump legal machine.

“They issued a statement that threatened to sue anyone who repeats the allegations made in the film,” he explains. “They threatened to sue the people in the film. They threatened to sue me.

“It’s all a bunch of threats that are part of the Trump bullying machine. It frightens some people.

“The important thing is to stand up for what’s right and to believe that telling the truth is part of our job as filmmakers. And the second most important thing is to get the truth out there. We’re absolutely committed to that.”

Scare tactics

Drawing on his experience of producing You’ve Been Trumped with the BBC, Baxter claims that for all the threats, the legal action rarely amounts to anything.

“It never goes anywhere. They tried to scare the BBC into not broadcasting You’ve Been Trumped,” he says.

“The week that the lawyers launched the legal action [it] resulted in a lot of running around at the BBC and people asking if they can check all our facts, and of course everything was fine.”

However, due to the gap in wealth between Trump and his opponents, he will often come out on top.

“Because they have so much money swilling around the coffers they can hire lawyers at any point and threaten this, that and the other.

“But for ordinary people like Molly Forbes and Michael Forbes, there isn’t access to expensive lawyers.”

‘He promised 6,000 jobs and created 95’

Trump’s Menie development: a timeline March 2006: Trump purchases Menie Estate and announces intention to build a golf resort November 2007: Sustainable Aberdeenshire hold protest on nearby beach October 2008: Plans for golf resort approved by the Scottish Government October 2009: Construction of the golf course begins July 2012: Trumps plays first shot on Trump International Golf Links March 2013: Scottish Government approve wind farm plans off the coast of Aberdeenshire January 2016: Trump threatens to pull £700 million of investment from his two Scottish resorts if he was banned from entering the UK

Trump’s affair with Scotland has been chaotic to say the least. Disputes with local residents, MPs and the odd film-maker have been par for the course.

Baxter believes that the situation in Scotland offers parallels to what may unfold if Trump wins on November 8.

“What Trump has done in Scotland could be seen as a microcosm for what would be unleashed on the world if he was to gain the most powerful job in the world.

“What we saw in Scotland was him coming in with a whole bunch of promises that he failed to deliver on.

“He promised to be the greatest jobs president that God ever created, but in Scotland he promised 6,000 jobs and only created 95 mostly low paid roles.

“The golf course is losing a lot of money and has trashed an environmentally sensitive stretch of coastline.”

And the director believes that Trump supporters will be interested in what the film has to say before election day.

“Those people who are supporting him would I’m sure relish the opportunity to see something which shed light on the man that they are backing.”

Michael and Molly Forbes have allegedly had their water supply disrupted since the arrival of the golf course. And Trump has done little to ensure that this problem is fixed, according to Baxter.

“He brands Michael Forbes a pig who lives in a slum, and then fails to make sure that his water supplies are working properly for the years that follow.

“He has a particularly bad track record of abusing and harassing women.

“Molly Forbes is 92 years old and has absolutely been on the end of that, with legal threats, and all she has done is remain quiet and incredibly dignified, getting on with her life.”

Update: Trump International Links have responded with the following comment after we reached out to them:

“ Trump International hired a team of leading ecologists, agronomists, geomorphologists and other environment consultants to advise on the development of our land.

“A team of ecological clerk of works oversaw the construction and development of the golf course, less than 5% of which is on a SSSI, and they could find no fault with our methodology and approach. Baxter makes hugely inflammatory, erroneous and misleading statements.

“He does not know the site and is only interested in presenting a biased, partial and sensationalist viewpoint. His so-called film is nothing more than a work of fiction, created in an effort to make a name for himself at the expense of others including a vulnerable 92 year old lady.”

You’ve Been Trumped Too will be available to watch on Facebook at Midnight tonight (3 Nov), and gets a selected cinematic release this Friday (4 Nov).