US president Donald Trump, dogged by questions about his ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, arrived in Scotland on Friday for some golf and bilateral talks that could yield a trade deal with the European Union.
Mr Trump told reporters before leaving the US that he will visit his two golf properties in Scotland and meet British prime minister Keir Starmer and Scottish leader John Swinney.
Mr Trump said he and Mr Starmer would discuss the US-British trade deal and perhaps even “improve” it, but gave no details. He said Washington was also working hard on a possible trade deal with the EU, which he said was very keen to make a deal. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said later she would meet Mr Trump in Scotland on Sunday.
EU diplomats say a deal could result in a broad 15 per cent tariff on EU goods, mirroring a framework agreement with Japan reached this week and half of the 30 per cent Mr Trump is threatening to impose by August 1st.
Mr Trump has sought to reorder the global economy after imposing a 10 per cent tariff on nearly all trading partners in April and threatening sharply higher rates for many countries to kick in a week from now. Mr Trump says the moves will reduce the US trade deficit and bring in extra revenue, but economists warn the new trade policies could drive up inflation.
The Republican president faces the biggest domestic political crisis of his second term in office. Allies and opponents alike have criticised his administration’s handling of investigative files related to Epstein’s criminal charges and the circumstances of his 2019 death in prison.
People cheer with a US national flag reading “Trump, Make America Great Again” as the US president’s cars delegation drive past them near Prestwick airport. Photograph: Getty Images
The issue has caused a rare breach with some of Mr Trump’s most loyal Make America Great Again supporters, and majorities of Americans and Mr Trump’s Republicans say they believe the government is hiding details on the case, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.
White House officials, frustrated by the ongoing focus on the Epstein saga, are hoping the controversy dies down while Mr Trump is abroad, one person familiar with the matter said.
As part of the visit, Mr Trump will open a second 18-hole course on the Aberdeen property named in honour of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to America.
As he left the White House, Mr Trump told reporters that he looked forward to meeting both Mr Starmer and Mr Swinney, who had publicly backed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election.
“We have a lot of things in Scotland. I have a lot of love – my mother was born in Scotland,” he said. “The Scottish leader is a good man, so I look forward to meeting him,” Mr Trump said. The trip, initially billed as a private visit, gives Mr Trump and Mr Starmer a chance to deepen their already warm relationship, with key issues on the agenda to include ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, British and US sources said.
British officials have been heartened by what they see as a clear shift in Mr Trump’s rhetoric on Ukraine and Russia in recent weeks, a British source said. The deteriorating situation in Gaza is also likely to come up. Mr Starmer on Thursday said he would hold an emergency call with France and Germany over what he called the “unspeakable and indefensible” suffering and starvation being reported there, and called on Israel to allow aid to enter the Palestinian enclave.
Gaza health authorities say more than 100 people have died from starvation, most of them in recent weeks. Human rights groups have said mass starvation is spreading even as tonnes of food and other supplies sit untouched just outside the territory. Since being elected last year, Mr Starmer has prioritised good relations with Mr Trump, stressing the importance of Britain’s defence and security alliance with the US and being careful to avoid openly criticising Mr Trump’s tariff policies.
Britain sealed the first tariff-reduction deal with the US in May, which reaffirmed quotas and tariff rates on British automobiles and eliminated tariffs on the UK’s aerospace sector, but left steel tariffs in place.
Mr Starmer is expected to press for lower steel tariffs, but sources close to the matter said it was unclear if any breakthrough was possible during Mr Trump’s visit.
Mr Trump has described Scotland as a “very special place” and made a similar trip there in 2016 during his first run for the presidency, but he will not necessarily get a warm welcome. About 70 per cent of Scots have an unfavourable opinion of Mr Trump, while 18 per cent have a favourable opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found.
Scottish police are girding for protests on Saturday in both Aberdeen and in Edinburgh, the country’s capital.
Mr Trump will return to Britain from September 17th-19th for a state visit hosted by King Charles. It will make Mr Trump the first world leader in modern times to undertake two state visits to Britain. The late Queen Elizabeth hosted him at Buckingham Palace for a three-day state visit in June 2019. – Reuters