Five takeaways as Trump's trip to Scotland nears conclusion
The final engagement on Trump's official schedule before his return is the opening of a new golf course, in memory of his late mother, in Aberdeen, on the east coast of Scotland.
That's a fitting conclusion to a trip that has included some Trump brand promotion in addition to official business.
But it's not as if the news has stopped during Trump's Scottish sojourn.
Here are the five biggest takeaways.
U.S. gets the better of a trade deal with the European Union
The announcement of a trade deal with the EU was plainly the biggest substantive moment from the trip.
Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen put the finishing touches to the agreement on Sunday, meeting at Trump's other Scottish golf course at Turnberry.
There was still some vagueness around specifics but the basic gist of the deal is that European imports to the U.S. will mostly be tariffed at 15 percent.
From the EU's perspective, the main selling point in such a deal is that it saves the bloc from the 30 percent tariff rate that would have kicked in this Friday in the absence of a new agreement.
However, the 15 percent tariff rate is higher than the 10 percent United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer helped negotiate for his nation in May; higher than was previously the case; and largely unleavened by any major concessions from the American side.
It's no surprise, then, that the deal has got an adverse reaction from many commentators in Europe, who accuse their leaders of selling the continent short.
But Trump doesn't care much about that. He can claim a victory here – so long as his tariff regime overall doesn't set off the inflationary cycle that many economists have long predicted.
Hunger in Gaza creates pressure on Trump
The deepening catastrophe in Gaza produced some unpredictable moments – but not much clarity – from Trump during his trip.
Malnutrition among Gaza's population of 2.1 million people has worsened precipitously, after Israel initially cut off aid and food to the strip for more than two months beginning in March. More recently, small amounts of aid have been allowed to enter, though humanitarian groups consider those volumes to be woefully insufficient.
According to a World Health Organization statement released on Sunday, there have been 63 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza in July, including 24 deaths of children under five.
Images of skeletal children have sparked fresh outrage in much of the world aimed at Israel and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
As recently as Sunday, Trump didn't display much urgency on the topic, placing blame on Hamas and complaining that the U.S. had not been shown sufficient gratitude for aid it had already supplied to Gaza.
By Monday, there was at least a tonal difference from the president – even though he repeated his comments about a supposed lack of gratitude.
Asked whether he agreed with an assertion from Netanyahu that there was no starvation in Gaza, Trump replied, 'I don't know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry.'
Trump also said, 'That's real starvation. I see it and you can't fake that.'
British government sources told the liberal-leaning Guardian newspaper that Starmer had 'privately pressed Trump on Gaza during the trip.'
Trump also promised the U.S. would set up food centers in Gaza, though details were sparse.
The key question, of course, is whether anything substantive will change in American policy toward Israel.
On Ukraine, Trump directs more ire at Putin
One of the most unexpected developments of recent months has been Trump shifting toward a harder line on Russia.
That idea seemed fanciful back in late February when Trump and Vice President Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
But Trump has grown frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin's stubbornness in continuing to pursue the war begun with his invasion three and a half years ago.
Trump declared himself 'disappointed in President Putin' during remarks on Monday. He also suggested he would tighten a deadline for peace negotiations to '10 or 12 days.'
Putin has not seemed overly concerned with Trump's deadlines previously but the remarks were nonetheless an indicator of the president's growing frustration with the Kremlin.
The Epstein saga proves inescapable
Trump has proven unable to put the controversy over Jeffrey Epstein behind him – and his Scottish trip did not change that.
Just as before, it was words and actions from Trump and his allies that, at least in part, kept the matter in the headlines.
On Monday, Trump suggested that his falling-out with Epstein two decades ago had its roots in the disgraced financier repeatedly hiring staff away.
'He stole people that worked for me,' Trump said.
This explanation had not previously been offered as a reason why Trump had broken off contact with Epstein – a move that came before Epstein was charged with any criminal offense.
Previous interpretations leaned on the idea that Epstein had engaged in some kind of inappropriate behavior that had come to Trump's attention, or that the two men had become estranged because of a competitive battle over real estate.
Separately, Monday also saw reporting that Trump's legal team wants media mogul Rupert Murdoch deposed as soon as possible in his lawsuit for defamation against the Wall Street Journal.
The legal filing raised the issue of 'health issues' for Murdoch, who is 94.
Trump is suing the Journal over a report that a letter bearing his name was included in an album to marking Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. Trump says the letter is fake.
In any event, now that Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) are mounting a bipartisan bid to force the Department of Justice to give up more documentation about Epstein, Trump will need to recognize that the issue won't be going anywhere for a while.
Plenty of publicity for the golf courses
Critics have long lamented overlaps between Trump's political activities and his business interests.
They will further irked by the Scotland trip, which was at least as much about golfing as about political business.
But Trump seems sure to appreciate the massive amount of free publicity he has just got bestowed upon his Scottish courses.
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