As the US president stood with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at his Turnberry golf course, loud bagpipes began to play. The music didn’t stop. Trump turned to face the cameras, ready to brag about his trade deal and immigration talks. But his voice struggled to rise above the sound.
He tried anyway.
“We want to make the Prime Minister happy,” Trump said, barely audible over the pipes.
Standing beside him was Lady Victoria Starmer, the prime minister’s wife. Trump quickly turned his attention to her. “She’s a respected person all over the United States,” he said. “I don’t want to say more, I’ll get myself in trouble. But she’s very, she’s a great woman and is very highly respected.”
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
It was one of Trump’s more awkward public moments in recent memory. The music didn’t stop until several minutes later. By then, many in the crowd were already laughing.
One person summed it up simply: “Scotland is AWESOME. Trump being drowned out by bagpipes.”
Trump was in Scotland for meetings with EU leaders and the UK government. But he had chosen to host some of the talks at his golf course, a decision that drew criticism.
Still, the US president tried to focus on the deal. He announced a new agreement with the European Union that included a 15% tariff on most exports, including cars and pharmaceuticals. Standing next to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump called the deal “a great victory.”
Later, Trump shifted to the topic of immigration. He praised the UK’s new rules for stopping small boats crossing the Channel. “You’re doing, not a good thing, you’re doing a fantastic thing,” Trump said. “My hats are off to you.”
Then he returned to one of his usual talking points. “If the boats are loaded up with bad people, and they usually are… other countries don’t send their best. They send people that they don’t want,” he said.
Sir Keir Starmer said he was “very pleased” to have signed an agreement to return people. Trump nodded and smiled.
After that, Trump turned his focus to Ukraine. He said he had given Vladimir Putin a 50-day deadline for a ceasefire, but now he might shorten it.
“We thought we had that settled,” he said. “And then Putin goes out and starts launching rockets… you have bodies lying all over the street.”
He added, “We’re going to have to look… I’m going to reduce that 50 days to a lesser number, because I think I already know the answer.”
Featured image via Screengrab
