Trump Tries to Woo Skeptical Europe
The EU is one of Washington's top commercial partners, and is the largest trading bloc in the world, but trade negotiations have been tumultuous in Trump's first months as President, with Trump repeatedly calling the European Union 'difficult to deal with.' During his first term as President, Trump even said that the bloc was 'formed in order to take advantage of us on trade', something he has often repeated since taking office again.
The EU is currently facing the prospect of tariffs on 70% of its exports, including 50% on steel and aluminium, 25% on automobiles, and baseline 10% on most exports as a whole, which Trump has threatened would increase to 30% next month without a deal. Still, earlier this month, the European Union suspended its retaliatory measures against Trump's tariffs in hopes of forming a deal, and Trump and von der Leyen seem optimistic about their chances.
Read More: E.U. Delays Retaliatory Measures Against U.S. In Hopes of Reaching a Deal by Aug. 1 After Trump Announces 30% Tariff
'Following a good call with [Trump], we have agreed to meet in Scotland on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong,' von der Leyen said in a post on X on Friday. Trump said Friday prior to leaving America that there is a '50-50' chance that a deal will get done with the EU, something he repeated to reporters from the golf course on Sunday.
Maroš Šefčovič, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security at the European Commission, said on social media Sunday he is going to join von der Leyen in her discussion with Trump.
During his visit, Trump is also set to speak with Scottish First Minister John Swinney, and, on Monday, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer. As Trump arrived on Friday, though, he made clear that trade with the United States is not the only place where his thoughts on the region lie.
'Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries,' Trump said, addressing Europe as a whole on the airport tarmac in Glasgow Friday. 'You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds.'
He also criticized the continent on their immigration policy, 'On immigration, you better get your act together. You're not going to have Europe anymore,' he continued.
As Trump criticized Europe's policies, protests have raged on in Scotland as a response to Trump's arrival. Demonstrations outside of the U.S. consulate in the country's capital of Edinburgh included protests around Trump's recent embroilment with the Jeffrey Epstein controversy, the cost of Trump's visit on Scottish taxpayers, and his immigration policies in the U.S. As he played golf on Sunday morning, a handful of pro-Trump supporters chanted their support for the president and waved an American flag.
As the huge security operation worked on the golf course to keep both media and onlookers at bay, reports from local media shared that Trump's golf cart could be heard blaring music, to drown out noise from protesters, says Sky News.
Despite the fact that Scotland is the birthplace of Trump's mother, he is not particularly popular in the country, with one recent poll done by marketing and public opinion research company Ipsos finding that 71% of people in Scotland have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, as opposed to 57% of people in the United Kingdom overall.
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