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Trump leaves for Scotland to inaugurate a new golf course in Aberdeenshire; ‘The greatest 36 holes in golf’
Donald Trump will travel to Scotland on Friday as his family’s business prepares for the Aug. 13 opening of a new golf course in Aberdeenshire
President Donald Trump will travel to Scotland on Friday as his family’s business prepares for the Aug. 13 opening of a new golf course in Aberdeenshire billed as “the greatest 36 holes in golf.”
While there, Trump will talk trade with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a meeting he’s said will take place at “probably one of my properties.”
Using this week’s presidential overseas trip — with its sprawling entourage of advisers, White House and support staffers, Secret Service agents and reporters — to help show off Trump-brand golf destinations demonstrates how the president has become increasingly comfortable intermingling his governing pursuits with promoting his family’s business interests.
Trump is scheduled to land near Glasgow on Friday evening. He’s spending the weekend at his family’s golf course near Turnberry, then will meet with British Prime Minister Kier Starmer before heading to another of his courses near Abderdeen.
The Trump Organization is opening a second golf course near Aberdeen next month. Trump is set to return to Washington on Tuesday.
The president says he hasn’t thought about pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell
Trump said he’s allowed to do it but hasn’t considered granting a pardon to the imprisoned former girlfriend of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump added that he “certainly can’t talk about pardons now.”
The Justice Department’s No. 2 official met with Maxwell on Thursday as the department promises transparency following backlash over an earlier refusal to release more records in the Epstein investigation.
Trump said he had good meeting with Powell and predicts he will lower interest rates
The president said his meeting with the Fed chair Jerome Powell on Thursday was “good,” despite their bickering in front of cameras over the cost of the of renovations to the Fed’s headquarters.
“He said ‘Congratulations. The country is doing really well,’” Trump said. “And I got that to mean that I think he’s going to start recommending lower rates.”
Trump says 50/50 chance of a trade deal with the EU
The president didn’t put comfortable odds on the U.S. reaching a trade framework with the European Union before new tariff rates going into effect Aug. 1.
“I would say that we have a 50/50 chance, maybe less than that,” Trump said before departing for a trip to Scotland.
The president said the deal would have to “buy down” the currently scheduled tariff rate of 30% on the bloc of 27 member states.
Trump said he had thought the odds of reaching a framework with Japan was 25%, but the U.S. and Japan announced an agreement this week.
Trump says Hamas doesn’t want to make a deal and is ‘going to be hunted down’
Trump told reporters Friday that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is unlikely as Hamas loses leverage in talks. With relatively few hostages left, Trump, said, Hamas doesn’t “have any bargaining chips” left to negotiate.
“Hamas didn’t want to make a deal,” Trump said. Asked about next steps, he said: “I think what’s going to happen is they’re going to be hunted down.”
Trumps’ special envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday the U.S. was cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks after Hamas’ response showed a “lack of desire” to reach a truce.
