Updated @ 5:43 PM EDT on July 25, 2025
Scotland’s Glasgow President Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday for a four-day visit that is anticipated to involve both diplomacy and personal time.
The majority of Trump’s trip will be spent at his golf facilities. He is opening a third in Scotland, where he already owns two. He is scheduled to meet with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
However, the political uproar over sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein, which has gripped Washington, casts a shadow on the trip. Reporters were informed by Trump that they were making “a very big thing over something that’s not a big thing.”
“I’m not as interested in conspiracies as you are. I mean, it’s really depressing to watch you folks. Instead of talking endlessly about this nonsense, you should talk about our nation’s achievements,” he remarked.
Supporters of Trump, who was previously acquainted with Epstein, are retaliating against him, demanding that more details regarding the scandalized financier’s offenses and his suicide in prison in 2019.
Trump has been making an effort to disassociate himself from the Epstein affair, but he has been facing mounting pressure to divulge additional details, especially from inside his MAGA community.
Trump wants to focus on meetings with Starmer and von der Leyen
The White House announced before the trip that Trump and Starmer would discuss how to “refine” a trade deal that reduced U.S. tariffs on British automobiles to 10%. Trump, however, played down the likelihood that the agreement will change.
Trump remarked, “I think it’s more of a celebration than a workout” of problems. Both parties will benefit much from the deal, and we will meet to discuss other matters. The transaction is complete.
He will meet with von der Leyen on Sunday in advance of the European Union tariff deadline on August 1. “We’ll be working on a deal – we’ll see if we make a deal,” he told reporters, indicating that there was a “50-50 chance” of reaching an agreement with a number of issues.
Protests are expected
During his first term as president, Trump’s 2018 trip to Scotland was met with widespread protests. Aberdeen and Edinburgh are to have protests this time.
Along the route, protesters put up banners about the Epstein questions as Trump’s convoy headed to his golf property at Turnberry.
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate and a sex trafficking prisoner, met with Trump’s Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche this week. Trump claimed to have no knowledge of the discussions. “I get a lot of inquiries regarding pardons. “Clearly, now is not the time to discuss pardons,” Trump stated.
Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump that his name was in the Epstein files in May, according to a Wall Street Journal story earlier this week. That reporting has not been independently verified by NPR. Trump claimed he was “never” briefed on it when he spoke to reporters on Friday. The White House has previously denied this report, claiming that it was well known that Trump and Epstein had a falling out years prior.
Although the trip to Scotland would present a fresh chance for him to try to disassociate himself from the controversy, British tabloids aren’t exactly known for avoiding such tales.
According to Republican pollster Jon McHenry, Trump’s response to the incident will determine a lot of the trip.
‘Oh, he’s on vacation, I’m going to leave him alone,’ the U.K. media won’t comment, McHenry of North Star Opinion Research stated. “Everything will be over. They will detect the scent of blood in the water.
According to McHenry, while most Americans do not find this to be a major concern, they are concerned about if the White House is concealing or hiding information.
Copyright 2025 NPR
