By WILL WEISSERT, Related Press
EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump met on Monday at one among his Scottish golf programs with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who pressed him on the U.S. taking a bigger function in serving to quell a rising meals disaster in Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas within the territory.
Starmer and his spouse, Victoria, arrived at Trump’s Turnberry course on the southern coast, and the Republican president spent a number of minutes chatting with them and proudly mentioning key facets of the property. However the prime minister didn’t wait till they have been inside to insist that Gaza can be a key subject of their assembly, calling what’s occurring there “a desperate situation.”
Trump was requested if he agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks about considerations of mass hunger in Gaza being overstated and replied, “I don’t know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry.”
Starmer was way more forceful: “I think people in Britain are revolted at seeing what they are seeing on their screens.”
Trump mentioned Israel “has a lot of responsibility” for what’s occurring however mentioned the nation is hampered by issues of the remaining hostages it desires to see saved alive and freed.
“I think Israel can do a lot,” Trump mentioned, with out providing extra data.
Trump has a number of Scottish golf programs
The prime minister is assembly with Trump at Turnberry but additionally plans to journey north, to exterior Aberdeen, the place the president’s household has a second golf course and is holding a ribbon-cutting for a 3rd one on Tuesday.
The occasions permit Trump to try to make good on a submit from his first time period in 2019, when he wrote of his Turnberry property, “Very proud of perhaps the greatest golf course anywhere in the world. Also, furthers U.K. relationship!”
President Donald Trump gestures as he meets European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen on the Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Picture/Jacquelyn Martin)
Starmer is famously not a golfer, however toggling between Trump’s Scottish programs reveals the outsized affect the president places on properties bearing his identify — and on golf’s capability to form geopolitics.
Nonetheless, Monday’s talks additionally lined way more severe points.
The prime minister desires Washington’s assist in convincing Israel to permit extra support into Gaza and making an attempt to finish what Downing Avenue referred to as “the unspeakable suffering and starvation” whereas pushing for a ceasefire.
Britain, together with France and Germany, has criticized Israel for “withholding essential humanitarian assistance” as starvation spreads in Gaza. Over the weekend, Starmer mentioned Britain will participate in efforts led by Jordan to airdrop support after Israel briefly eased restrictions.
However British Enterprise Secretary Jonathan Reynolds acknowledged Monday that solely the U.S. has “the leverage” to make an actual distinction within the battle. Trump spoke earlier than the assembly with Starmer about wanting to assist ravenous youngsters, however he has additionally repeatedly complained in regards to the U.S. not getting sufficient credit score for organizing previous meals support into Gaza.
“Nobody said even thank you,” he mentioned. “Somebody should say thank you.”
Palestinian state questions and Ukraine additionally being mentioned
Starmer is underneath stress from his Labour Social gathering lawmakers to comply with France in recognizing a Palestinian state, a transfer each Israel and the U.S. have condemned. The British chief says the U.Ok. helps statehood for the Palestinians but it surely should be “part of a wider plan” for a two-state answer to the Israel-Palestinian battle.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer is mirrored in a mirror throughout a enterprise showcase occasion while assembly Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India at Chequers close to Aylesbury, England, Thursday, July 24, 2025.(AP Picture/Kin Cheung, Pool)
Trump, nevertheless, mentioned Monday of Starmer doing so, “I don’t mind him taking a position.”
Additionally on Monday’s agenda are efforts to advertise a potential peace deal to finish preventing in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, significantly making an attempt to power Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating desk inside a 50-day window Trump set earlier this month.
Trump mentioned earlier than the assembly with Starmer that he’d work to scale back the “50 days to a lesser number” and urged Russia to comply with a deal.
Trump up to now sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for additionally failing to specific sufficient public gratitude towards U.S. assist for his nation, taking an analogous tack he’s now adopting with regards to support for Gaza. The president, although, has shifted away from that tone and extra sharply criticized Putin and Russia in current weeks.
Trump’s new golf course close to Aberdeen opens to the general public on Aug. 13 and tee occasions are already on the market — with the course betting {that a} presidential go to may also help enhance gross sales. Protesters have deliberate an indication in Balmedie, close to Trump’s present Aberdeen golf course. That follows protests throughout Scotland on Saturday decrying the president’s go to as he was out {golfing}.
Refining previous commerce agreements
Whereas China initially responded to Trump’s tariff threats by retaliating with excessive import taxes of its personal on U.S. items, it has since begun negotiating to ease commerce tensions. Starmer and his nation have taken a far softer method.
He’s gone out of his technique to work with Trump, flattering the president repeatedly throughout a February go to to the White Home, and teaming as much as announce a joint commerce framework on tariffs for some key merchandise in Could.
Starmer and Trump then signed a commerce settlement throughout the G7 summit in Canada that freed the U.Ok.’s aerospace sector from U.S. tariffs and used quotas to scale back them on auto-related industries from 25% to 10% whereas rising the quantity of U.S. beef it pledged to import.
“The U.K. is very well-protected. You know why? Because I like them — that’s their ultimate protection,” Trump mentioned of U.S. tariff coverage throughout the G7.
Discussions with Starmer comply with a Trump assembly Sunday with European Fee chief Ursula von der Leyen at his Turnberry course. They introduced a commerce framework that may put 15% tariffs on most items from each international locations, although many main particulars stay pending.
The president has for months railed towards yawning U.S. commerce deficits across the globe and sees tariffs as a technique to try to shut them in a rush. However the U.S. ran an $11.4 billion commerce surplus with Britain final yr, that means it exported extra to the U.Ok. than it imported. Census Bureau figures this yr point out that the excess may develop.
There are nonetheless lingering U.S.-Britain commerce points that want fine-tuning. The deal framework from Could mentioned British metal would enter the U.S. duty-free, but it surely continues to face a 25% levy.
U.Ok. Enterprise Secretary Jonathan Reynolds mentioned Monday that “negotiations have been going on on a daily basis” and “there’s a few issues to push a little bit further today,” although he downplayed expectations of a decision.
The chief of Scotland, in the meantime, has urged Trump to carry the present 10% tariff on Scotch whisky. First Minister John Swinney mentioned the spirit’s “uniqueness” justified an exemption.
Related Press author Jill Lawless in London and Michelle L. Value and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report.
Initially Printed: July 28, 2025 at 7:52 AM EDT
