Trump arrives in Scotland for golf and bilateral talks as EU trade deal nears

By Andrea Shalal and Andrew MacAskill

EDINBURGH/LONDON (Reuters) -U.S. 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.

Trump told reporters before leaving the U.S. that he will visit his two golf properties in Scotland and meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Scottish leader John Swinney.

Trump said he and Starmer would discuss the U.S.-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 European Union, which he said was very keen to make a deal. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said later she would meet Trump in Scotland on Sunday.

EU diplomats say a deal could result in a broad 15% tariff on EU goods, mirroring a framework agreement with Japan reached this week and half of the 30% Trump is threatening to impose by August 1.

Trump has sought to reorder the global economy after imposing a 10% tariff on nearly all trading partners in April and threatening sharply higher rates for many countries to kick in a week from now. Trump says the moves will reduce the U.S. 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 criticized his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and the circumstances of his 2019 death in prison.

The issue has caused a rare breach with some of Trump's most loyal Make America Great Again supporters, and majorities of Americans and 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 Trump is abroad, one person familiar with the matter said.

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As part of the visit, Trump will open a second 18-hole course on the Aberdeen property named in honor 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, Trump told reporters that he looked forward to meeting both Starmer and Swinney, who had publicly backed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. 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," Trump said.

The trip, initially billed as a private visit, gives Trump and 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 U.S. sources said. 

British officials have been heartened by what they see as a clear shift in 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. 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, Starmer has prioritized good relations with Trump, stressing the importance of Britain's defense and security alliance with the U.S. and being careful to avoid openly criticizing Trump's tariff policies.

Britain sealed the first tariff-reduction deal with the U.S. 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. 

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 Trump's visit.

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% of Scots have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, while 18% have a favorable 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. 

Trump will return to Britain from September 17-19 for a state visit hosted by King Charles. It will make 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.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal in Edinburgh and Andrew MacAskill in London; additional reporting by Steve Holland in Washington and David Milliken in LondonEditing by Colleen Jenkins, Shri Navaratnam, Helen Popper and Nick Zieminski, Philippa Fletcher, Rod Nickel)