Taking a break from golfing in Scotland, President Donald Trump is meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, on Sunday to talk about trade. The two parties are trying to reach a consensus on tariff rates because the White House has a deadline this week to apply high import levies.
Trump and his sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, together with their spouses, continued their golfing weekend at his Turnberry club on Scotland’s southwest coast.
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During his private afternoon meeting with von der Leyen, the Republican president waved to reporters and listened to yelled questions regarding the possibility of achieving a deal with the European Union, but he made no comments. The focus of Trump’s five-day trip to Scotland is golf and marketing real estate with his name on it.
At the course, a few protesters held up American flags and held up a sign denouncing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is scheduled to meet with Trump at Turnberry on Monday. Trump! Trump! was being chanted and cheered by other voices as he performed close by.
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Trump will visit Aberdeen, in northeastern Scotland, on Tuesday. There, his family owns another golf club, and next month they plan to add a third. The new course’s ribbon-cutting will be assisted by the president and his sons.
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In an effort to reduce the significant trade deficits that the United States has with several of its major trading partners, Trump has been threatening the majority of the world with high tariffs for months. This has also been true of the EU.
Trump has stated that we have a 50/50 chance of reaching an agreement with the EU, however it may be less than that. Additionally, he said that any agreement must lower the present planned 30% tariff rate on the 27-member bloc.
Tomas Baert, head of trade and agriculture at the EU delegation to the United States; Sabine Weyand, directorate-general for trade at the commission; Bj rn Seibert, head of von der Leyen’s Cabinet; and Maros Sefcovic, chief trade negotiator for the EU, were scheduled to accompany von der Leyen. Following the discussions, a press conference was scheduled.
Earlier this month, a deal between the U.S. and the EU was imminent, but Trump threatened to impose a 30% tariff instead. In recent weeks, the Trump administration’s deadline to start enforcing tariffs has changed, and it is currently Friday.
No further grace periods or extensions. According to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, “the tariffs are set, they’ll go into place, Customs will start collecting the money, and off we go,” he said on Sunday on Fox News. But even after that, he said, people can still speak with President Trump. He’s always willing to listen, after all.
According to Lutnick, the EU is flying to Scotland in order to negotiate with President Trump because they need to and want to do so. The question is whether they provide President Trump with a good enough offer to justify him lifting the 30% tariffs he imposed.
In the absence of an agreement, the EU says it is ready to impose duties in retaliation on hundreds of American goods, including beer, Boeing aircraft, meat, and auto parts.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Europe, which could raise the cost of everything from German electronics and Spanish medications to French cheese and Italian leather goods in the US.
Although the partners announced an agreement this past week, Trump previously stated that he believed the chances of achieving a framework with Japan were only 25%.
He brought his attention to trade with him to Scotland. Because of their violent battles in long-disputed border areas, he said on Saturday on his Truth Social platform that he would obstruct any trade agreements between the United States and Thailand and Cambodia.
Trump stated that he called for a truce in talks with Phumtham Wechayachai, Thailand’s acting prime minister, and Hun Manet, the prime minister of Cambodia. According to Trump, both nations want to return to the trading table with the US, which we believe is inappropriate until the conflict is over. I’m excited to finalize our trading agreements with both when all is finished and peace is achieved!
Meanwhile, during the Group of Seven conference in Canada last month, the United States and Britain revealed a wider deal, after the announcement of a trade framework in May. Although the White House has said that still requires some refinement, Trump claims the deal is final and that he and Starmer will talk about other issues.
