Donald Trump has dismissed French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state as carrying “no weight” whilst boarding Air Force One for his five-day private visit to Scotland. The US president faces mounting pressure at home over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Standing on the White House lawn before boarding Air Force One, Trump told reporters that Macron’s announcement on recognising Palestine “doesn’t carry weight.” “What he says doesn’t matter,” Trump said. “He’s a very good guy. I like him, but that statement doesn’t carry weight.”
The president’s remarks came just hours after Macron announced that France will recognise the State of Palestine during the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in September, drawing sharp criticism from both Washington and Jerusalem.
Major Security Operation Underway
Trump is expected to spend four days in Scotland, his mother’s native land, with Air Force One touching down at Prestwick Airport on Friday evening after a seven-hour flight.
Police Scotland have also made a request to the Police Service of Northern Ireland seeking officers to provide additional support during the visit. The chair of the Scottish Police Federation, David Threadgold, told Scotland on Sunday that all officers in Scotland could be affected for the duration of the trip, with some saying “Very few if any cops will not be impacted by next week’s visit and beyond.”
Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond told CNN in a statement that the visit “will require a significant police operation using local, national and specialist resources from across Police Scotland, supported by colleagues from other UK police forces.”
Trade Deal Discussions with Starmer
Before boarding his presidential aircraft, Trump confirmed he would meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Friday night. “I’m going to be over there in about six hours. I’m going to meet with the Prime Minister tonight. We’re going to talk about the trade deal we made, and maybe even improve it,” Trump told reporters.
“We’re also going to do a little celebrating together because we get along very well. The UK has been trying to make a deal with us for like 12 years and hasn’t been able to do it, and we got it done. [Starmer] is doing a very good job, he’s a good Prime Minister, and a good guy.”
Trump and Starmer signed a trade deal in mid-June on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Canada. The agreement, the White House said, will lower U.S. tariffs on British cars from 25% to 10% and allow some steel and aluminum products to enter the U.S. without being subject to the 25% tariff rate.
Meeting with Scottish First Minister
The president also confirmed plans to meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney during the visit. Trump said he had a “lot of love” for Scotland, and called the Scottish leader a “good man”. “I look forward to meeting him,” Trump said.
Swinney said he will “raise global and humanitarian issues of significant importance, including the unimaginable suffering we are witnessing in Gaza, and ensure Scotland’s voice is heard at the highest levels of government across the world,” according to PA.
France’s Palestinian State Recognition Sparks Backlash
Macron’s announcement on Thursday evening took many by surprise. “In light of the commitments you have made, France will proceed with the full recognition of Palestine as a state when I attend the United Nations General Assembly this September”, Macron wrote in a letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised Macron’s “reckless decision”, which he claimed “only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. Rubio wrote on X that it is “a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that “A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry welcomed Macron’s “historic decision”. “The Kingdom reiterates its call for all countries that have not yet recognised the State of Palestine to take similar positive steps and adopt serious positions that support peace and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”
Trump’s Golf Resorts and Protests Expected
Mr Trump is set to visit his golf resorts at Turnberry on the Ayrshire coast and Menie in Aberdeenshire. The Trump Organization purchased the historic golf resort and hotel at Turnberry in 2014, and the Aberdeen golf club in 2012, which is set to open new course next month.
The Stop Trump Coalition is organising events in Aberdeen city centre and outside the US consulate in Edinburgh on Saturday – similar gatherings during Trump’s visit to Scotland in 2018 attracted thousands of demonstrators.
Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said the political project undertaken by the US president “must be opposed at every turn” – including during his visit from Friday. “Scotland has already made it amply clear that he isn’t welcome here. And when he arrives in the coming weeks Scotland will stand on the right side of history and make it amply clear once more.”
Epstein Files Controversy Continues
The Scotland visit comes as Trump faces questions from his supporters over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The uproar around Epstein escalated Thursday with a report in the Wall Street Journal that refocused attention on Trump’s own relationship with him.
The Justice Department and FBI said in a brief memo that a review found no Epstein “client list” and confirmed the disgraced financier died by suicide in prison while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to release years-old grand jury testimony made against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following days of turmoil among President Donald Trump’s base over his administration’s chaotic handling of documents related to the disgraced financier.
Trump was told by US Attorney General Pam Bondi that he appears in the so-called “Epstein files” during the US Department of Justice’s review of the case in May, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and CNN reported on Wednesday.
State Visit Planned for September
Trump will return the UK in September for an official state visit, where he will meet the King at Windsor Castle. The president and the first lady will travel to the United Kingdom for an official state visit from September 17 to September 19 later this fall. This will mark a truly unprecedented second state visit for President Trump and he is honoured and looking forward to meeting with His Majesty the King at Windsor Castle,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
The UK’s monarch typically does not invite a U.S. president for a second state visit if they are re-elected to office, opting for more intimate meetings such as tea or lunch, making Trump’s second state visit unprecedented.
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