President Donald Trump wrapped up a five-day trip to Scotland, where he held meetings with foreign leaders, made a trade framework deal with the EU and opened a new golf course in his mother’s home country.
Trump departed the White House on Friday and is the latest example of how the president is attempting to mix presidential duties with business — along with his favorite pastime.
The White House called Trump’s trip a “working visit” since he held meetings with United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.
Here’s a review of Trump’s visit to Scotland:
Meeting with Starmer
Trump met with Starmer at his Turnberry golf club in Scotland on Monday. They traded compliments and took more than an hour of questions from the media.
“The prime minister, he’s been so supportive of us and so strong and so respected, and I respect him much more today than I did before, because I just met his wife and family,” Trump said. “He’s got a perfect wife, and that’s never easy to achieve.”
It was the second time Trump and Starmer met to discuss foreign relations and trade after Starmer visited the White House in February.
During their meeting, Trump shared that he was “disappointed” in Russian President Vladimir Putin, and moved up the 50-day deadline he gave the leader to reach a peace deal with Ukraine. The original deadline was set to expire in early September, but Trump said it doesn’t appear Russia has made any progress and he would be making a new deadline about “10 or 12 days from today.”
Trump also broke with his ally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the meeting. As reports emerge about widespread food shortages in Gaza due to the Israel-Hamas war, Trump said he would work with European allies to get more food to Gaza. He later told reporters that he wants to make sure money is “spent wisely” and food is distributed to people “in a proper manner.
Starmer thanked Trump for his hospitality and joked with Trump about sports. When Trump criticized London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, Starmer jumped in to defend his ally. Trump said Khan was a “nasty person,” before Starmer added he is “a friend of mine.” Trump replied that he thinks the London mayor has “done a terrible job.”
EU trade deal
During Trump’s meeting with von der Leyen, the two announced the outlines of a trade deal between the United States and the European Union. The deal sets a 15% tariff on most EU goods, including cars and pharmaceuticals, while the EU agreed to buy $750 billion of American energy over three years.
The meeting focused on the scale of the trade deal, which von de Leyen described as “the biggest trade deal ever.” Trump agreed and said it’s the “biggest of them all.”
The White House celebrated the announcement, calling Trump the “Dealmaker-in-Chief.” Much of the key details of the trade deal are still waiting to be settled.
Golf celebrations
Scotland has always been a country Trump is fond of, since it was where his mother was born. The trip marked the opening of Trump’s third golf course in the country.
He held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday for the new golf course in Balmedie, saying it has been an “unbelievable development.” Trump’s adult son Eric designed the golf course, named Trump International Golf Links. The president’s assets are in a trust and his sons are running the family’s business during their father’s time in the White House. Still, any revenue generated at the new course will benefit Trump when he leaves office, CBS News reported.
“I build the best courses,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back to Washington.
