Donald Trump today leapt to the defense of his sons for hunting endangered wildlife in Africa.

The Republican frontrunner was questioned about his sons Eric and Donald Jr after Mia Farrow tweeted a picture of them

The property magnate made his remarks while giving a press conference at his Trump Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire, Scotland, during the Women's British Open.

Trump spoke for a full 30 minutes, giving an insight into his future diplomacy skills.

But when questioned about photographs of his sons with a dead leopard in relation to the killing of Cecil the lion, Trump simply said his 'sons love to hunt'.

Trophy: Donald Jr (left) and Eric Trump (right) posing with a leopard they shot on a hunting trip to Africa in pictures which emerged three years ago. Today their father defended them.

Kill: Donald Jr poses with the tail of an elephant which he appears to have just cut off. The pictures surfaced in 2012

Happy hunter: Don, seen here with a 40' Cape Buffalo Bull, is said to have 'the precision of a true marksman'

Costly sport: The kill fee for this Waterbuck was $1,997.00

Arrival: Trump with Eric and his daughter Ivanka as they arrive by helicopter at Turnberry today

He said: 'My sons love to hunt. They are members of the NRA, very proudly. I am a big believer in the Second Amendment.

'But my sons are hunters, Eric is a hunter and I would say he puts it on a par with golf, if not ahead of golf.

'My other son, Don, is a hunter. They're great marksman, great shots, they love it.

'I em, like golf. I don't do that.'

But he could not be drawn into comment on the specific issue of shooting endangered animals.

The pictures of his sons surfaced three years ago and showed them taking part in a hunting trip to Zimbwawe - the same type of trip which resulted in the death this month of Cecil the lion.

In one of the photos, 34-year-old Donald Jr holds the sawed off tail of an elephant and another the knife that likely cut it.

Another photo shows the brothers standing beside a 12'8' crocodile hanging from a noose off a tree.

The pictures were posted on the website for the company that ran the hunting trip to the Matetsi area of Zimbabwe near Victoria Falls.

At the time Donald Jr denied that he leaked the photos over Twitter: 'Not a PR move I didn't give the pics but I have no shame about them either. I HUNT & EAT game'.

'I AM A HUNTER I don't hide from that,' he said to another critic on Twitter.

The company, called Hunting Legends, detailed the brothers' trip and said that it was not the first for them.

Though the pricing for the trip is not publicly available, the 2012 'trophy fees' for each of the animals they shot, included at least $2,795.00 for the kudu and another $1,997.00 for the waterbuck they were pictured with.

'The Trump's [sic] soon showed their metal and it was evident from the word go that these two amazing young men are everything but the 'city slickers' you would expect!' the Hunting Legends site reads.

'They meant business from the outset of the hunt.'

The tour guide went on to say that they had 'the precision of a true marksman'.

In 2012 Trump had said he was 'surprised' at his sons' interest in hunting.

'They're hunters and they've become good at it. I am not a believer in hunting and I'm surprised they like it,' he told TMZ.

In Turnberry today Trump also spoke about America's 'special relationship' with the United Kingdom.

Trump proudly claimed he had done 'a great service to Scotland' for building his multi-million pound golf resort in Aberdeen.

And he even stated he would 'get along very well' with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

He said: 'I think we would be very close with Britain, we had such a great relationship with this part of the world, and I think many other parts of the world.

Shamed: Mia Farrow last night tweeted her disgust at Trump's sons' hunting in the wake of Cecil the lion's death

Boast: Eric posed with another of his kills and his rifle in Zimbabwe. His brother robustly defending their hunting

Big kill: The pair pose with the 12'8' crocodile that they killed on the trip, which was not their first

New look: Donald Trump has a new red version of his Make America Great Again hat. The white one has sold out at his Trump Towers store

Here for the golf: Donald Trump is in Scotland for the Women's British Open at his Turnberry course

'I think I'd get along very well with Vladimir Putin. I think I'd get along well with him.

'Obama and him, he hates Obama. Obama hates him. We have unbelievably bad relationships

'Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State. She was the worst Secretary of State in the history of our country.

'I think I'd get along very well with Vladimir. I don't know him, but I was there, I have major business there.

'I have a very good relationship with people in Russia. I have a great relationship with the people of Russia.

'I think I would probably get along very well with them. I'd get along very well with the people from China.

'The problem we have is the people running China, Mexico, Japan, all of the leaders running those countries are much smarter, sharper, more cunning than our leaders.

'They're taking advantage of us because our people don't have a clue, our leaders don't have a clue.'

He referenced his own non-politically correct attitude and even admitted he was not a diplomat before claiming 'the world takes advantage of the United States'.

Trump said: 'I'm not known as a politically correct person, for good reason' and that he 'did not think' a US president needed to be diplomatic while in office.

Dr Palmer (left), an avid big game hunter who has killed dozens of animals, has admitted to being the one who shot and killed Cecil the Lion (not pictured) in Zimbabwe

Walter Palmer (pictured left with a bear and right with a leopard) is a specialist bow and arrow hunter who has admitted killing Cecil the lion

He added: 'I think there's been too much diplomacy. I think we're so politically correct in our country that people are sick and tired of it.

'I certainly don't want to be diplomatic. I mean we're diplomatic in our country and everybody hates us all over the world.

'The world hates the United States. The world takes advantage of the United States on trade and just about everything.

'We don't get along with China. China should love us. They don't like us and they're taking our money.

'I'm speaking for most people. I would say President Obama is incompetent and he's done a terrible job as president.'

In Turnberry Trump received a positive reception from locals.

Golf caddy Michael Hopkins, 53, has worked at the Turnberry club for 35 years and praised Trump for turning the resort around.

He said: 'I think he's been good for Turnberry. He's put a lot of work into it and spent $200 million on doing the place up which is great because it's been needing it for years.

'I can't really comment on his political ambitions as it's an American thing, but we have a close relationship with the US.

Posing with their prey: Eric sits atop one of their kills. In his responses to critics on Twitter, Donald Jr said that the animals were used as meat for hungry villagers who do not eat the animals

The group: The brothers, seen bottom center and right, went on the trip run by a company called Hunting Legends

'Local people here really like him, he's spent a lot of money on this place and looks after his caddies.

'About 90 per cent of people who come here are from the US, about 10 per cent or so are from Europe, and most of what you hear is very positive.

'What we've seen getting done so far, nobody could not like. We're all quite happy with what he's done with the place.'

Golf enthusiast, Mike Wallace, 42, a lorry driver from Glasgow, had come down to Turnberry to catch some of the action and said: .

Mike said he 'admired' Trumps renovation of the club, but said he was convinced his presidential candidacy was a 'PR stunt'.

He said: 'You have to admire the work and effort he's invested in Turnberry. It's a completely different place to golf since he started dealing with it.

'Everything is clean and well turned out, and it gives a great image of Scotland for all the visitors.

'It's hilarious he's running to be US president. But really, I think it's a PR stunt and he'll go straight back to business if he doesn't win.

Praised: Locals spoke positively of Trump as he inspected his Turnberry coast. The golf resort looks out onto the Firth of Clyde and on a good day, Northern Ireland is visible

Arrival: Trump flew to Scotland on his private jet then took a Trump helicopter from Prestwick Airport to Turnberry

'It's tough to see how your average American, or Scot even, could relate to someone that wealthy who wants to run their country.

'He gives a lot chat about things and I can't imagine he's overly informed on many of them, a lot of what I've read about him saying seems like his own personal views.

'He's definitely done something right in Turnberry. You can't fault him for that.'

Julie Kennedy, 29, a barmaid and amateur golfer from Ayr, had gone to Turnberry to watch the Women's British Open.

She said she would not like it if Trump were to become the next US president because he seemed 'too self-obsessed'.

Julie said: 'He's obviously well-liked in the area because of how much he's done for the club and the jobs he's made by doing it all up.

'I only found out yesterday he's wanting to be president. It's got to be a joke, he's far too self-obsessed to run a country.

'I've seen him on the telly and he's an idiot with the way he deals with people. He'd end up starting more wars and we'd get pulled into them.