Von der Leyen to meet Trump in Scotland on Sunday
In a post on X where she announced the meeting, von der Leyen added that they will "discuss transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong." Trump also confirmed the meeting will take place after arriving in Scotland.
The European Commission earlier in the week briefed member states on the progres of trade negotiations with the EU and the possibility of resorting to anti-coercion measures in the tariff dispute between the EU and the US.
The member states on Thursday approved the list of retaliatory tariffs proposed by the European Commission to counter US trade measures, with only Hungary voting against.
The list includes an initial package of measures adopted in early April, with up to 30% tariffs targeting products including yachts, aircraft, cars and car parts, orange juice, poultry, soybeans, steel and aluminium.
This was the latest development in a negotiation process that has lasted several months. The US currently imposes 50% tariffs on EU steel and aluminium, 25% on cars, and 10% on all other imports. On 12 July, Trump ramped up pressure on the EU by threatening to impose 30% tariffs as of 1 August if no agreement was reached.
The White House said Trump will also be meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his visit.
Trump golf tour blurs politics and family business
The US President arrives in Scotland on a five-day visit during which he is set to visit a golf course in Aberdeenshire ahead of its opening on 13 August, and another near Turnberry. His family owns both golf courses.
The fact that Trump is using a presidential overseas trip - complete with his large entourage of advisers, White House staff, secret service agents and reporters - to promote Trump-brand golf courses shows how the president has become increasingly comfortable mixing his pursuits on government with his family's business interests.
Trump's assets are in a trust run by his children, who are also handling day-to-day operations of the Trump Organisation while he is president.
The company has reached a number of lucrative foreign agreements involving golf courses, including plans to build luxury developments in Qatar and Vietnam, even as the administration negotiates tariff rates for those countries and around the globe.
A White House spokesperson has called the president's visit to Scotland a 'working trip." She also said that Trump 'has built the best and most beautiful world-class golf courses anywhere in the world, which is why they continue to be used for prestigious tournaments and by the most elite players in the sport.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
8 minutes ago
- France 24
Trump signals tariffs on pharma, chips as trade war widens
Trump's latest comments, in an interview on CNBC, come days before a separate set of tariff hikes takes effect on dozens of economies later this week. The sweeping tariff plans have sparked a flurry of activity as governments seek to avert the worst of his threats -- with Switzerland's leaders heading to Washington on Tuesday in a last-minute push to avoid punitive duties. But he appears set to widen his trade wars further. The US president told CNBC that upcoming tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals could reach 250 percent, while adding that he plans for new duties on foreign semiconductors soon. "We'll be putting (an) initially small tariff on pharmaceuticals, but in one year, one-and-a-half years, maximum, it's going to go to 150 percent," Trump said. "And then it's going to go to 250 percent because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country." Trump also said that Washington will be announcing tariffs "within the next week or so." He added: "We're going to be announcing on semiconductors and chips." Concern for US economy Trump has taken aim at products from different countries with varying tariff rates after imposing a 10-percent levy on almost all trading partners in April -- with excluded products targeted by sector. While Swiss leaders are seeking to stave off a US tariff hike to 39 percent come Thursday -- which excludes sectors like pharma -- Trump's plans for a steep pharma levy will likely be a point of contention in any talks. Pharmaceuticals represented 60 percent of Swiss goods exports to the United States last year. Besides probing pharmaceuticals and chips imports, Trump has already imposed steep duties of 50 percent on imports of steel and aluminum, alongside lower levels on autos and parts. In the same CNBC interview, Trump said he expects to raise the US tariff on Indian imports "very substantially over the next 24 hours" due to the country's purchases of Russian oil. This is a key revenue source for Moscow's military offensive on Ukraine. His pressure on India comes after signaling fresh sanctions on Moscow if it did not make progress by Friday towards a peace deal with Kyiv, more than three years since Russia's invasion. Moscow is anticipating talks this week with the US leader's special envoy Steve Witkoff, and the Kremlin has criticized Trump's threat of raising tariffs on Indian goods. Weak employment data last week pointed to challenges for the US economy as companies take a cautious approach in hiring and investment while grappling with Trump's radical -- and rapidly changing -- tariffs policy. The tariffs are a demonstration of raw economic power that Trump sees as putting US exporters in a stronger position while encouraging domestic manufacturing by keeping out foreign imports. But the approach has raised fears of inflation and other economic fallout in the world's biggest economy.
Fashion Network
38 minutes ago
- Fashion Network
India accuses EU, US of double standard over Russian trade
India has sharply criticised the US and the European Union, saying it is being unfairly singled out by them over its Russian oil purchases when they both trade extensively with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine. India's criticism followed a renewed threat by US President Donald Trump on Monday to raise tariffs on goods from India over its Russian oil purchases, deepening the trade rift between the two countries. In a rare show of unity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main opposition Congress on Tuesday condemned Trump's repeated criticism of New Delhi. India's Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued late on Monday that "it is revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia". The US embassy and the EU's delegation in New Delhi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Both the US and EU have sharply scaled back their trade ties with Russia since it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In 2021, Russia was the EU's fifth-largest trading partner, with goods exchange worth 258 billion euros, according to the EU executive European Commission. The sudden rift between India and the US has been deepening since July 31, when Trump announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods being shipped to the US and for the first time threatened unspecified penalties for buying Russian oil. India is one of the biggest buyers of crude from Russia, importing about 1.75 million barrels per day from January to June this year, up 1% from a year ago. India has said it does not support "unilateral sanctions" by the EU. Trade experts say Trump's tariff could badly hurt India's economy. Ajay Srivastava of the New Delhi-based Global Trade Research Initiative said he expected Indian goods exports to the US to fall 30% in the current fiscal year ending March 31, to 60.6 billion dollars from 86.5 billion dollars in the 2025 fiscal year. India's equity benchmarks fell after Trump's renewed threat of harsh tariffs on goods from India. Manish Tewari, a member of parliament and Congress leader, said Trump's "disparaging remarks hurt the dignity and self-respect of Indians". "The time has come to call out this constant bullying and hectoring," he added. BJP Vice President Baijayant Jay Panda quoted Henry Kissinger - the most powerful US diplomat of the Cold War era - in a post on X: "To be an enemy of America can be dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal."
Euronews
38 minutes ago
- Euronews
EU Commission 'surprised' by German minister's jibe on trade deal
The European Commission said on Tuesday it was surprised by comments German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil in which he highlighted the EU's weakness in the ongoing tariff talks, despite Germany having been fully briefed ahead of the agreement reached on July 27 by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump. 'It is most surprising to us,' Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said, adding: 'Nothing has happened here in terms of the Commission's approach, negotiation or outcome achieved without the clear signal received from our member states.' Klingbeil said on Monday, ahead of his meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant in Washington DC, that EU representatives 'have shown weakness' during trade negotiations with the US. 'Overall, as Europeans, we must become stronger," Klingbeil insisted, "then we can also stand up to the US with more self-confidence. Not against the US, but in dialogue with the US.' Germany 'had been fully briefed on the details of the agreement at a political level', Commission Deputy Spokesperson Arianna Podestà added on Tuesday. Since the announcement of the EU-US tariff agreement on July 27, the Commission has maintained that the deal represents the least bad option, allowing the EU to avoid a further escalation in the transatlantic trade dispute. However, the details of the agreement are still under negotiation, just days after a US Executive Order set tariffs at 15%. Germany, in particular, continues to see its automotive industry heavily impacted by 25% US tariffs — contrary to the political deal, which aimed to reduce them to 15%. Negotiations also continue on which products may be eligible for exemptions. 'We fight for every product and every industry,' a senior EU official said, adding: 'We're really trying to get as many products into the list of exemptions.' A joint EU-US statement is expected to be released soon, aiming to reinforce the political commitments made on both sides of the Atlantic. Under the current framework, the US has agreed to apply a 15% tariff on EU goods, while the EU has committed to purchasing US energy and investing in the United States.
