Donald Trump is set to swap the links for the negotiating table as he readies to sit down with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland in a decisive push to resolve a months-long transatlantic trade standoff.
The president said he puts the chances of striking a landmark deal at one in two, but the clock is ticking with Trump vowing to hit dozens of countries with punitive tariffs unless they hammer out a pact with Washington by August 1.
Sunday’s sit-down will take place at his golf club in Turnberry at 10.30am EST, on Scotland’s southwestern coast where the president spent Saturday playing a round of golf with his son Eric.
Trump also played with the US Ambassador to Britain, Warren Stephens, as he posted a video montage of his golfing skills to social media after they hit the links.
Their round was hit with protesters as hundreds of locals gathered at Turnberry with signs saying he was ‘not welcome’ in Scotland and dubbing the golf-loving president ‘Agolf Hitler.’
The EU is facing an across-the-board levy of 30 percent from Trump, which Von der Leyen will hope to avoid after meeting with Trump on Sunday.
Von der Leyen’s European Commission, negotiating on behalf of the EU’s 27 countries, has been pushing hard for a deal to salvage a trading relationship worth an annual $1.9 trillion in goods and services.
Brussels has coordinated closely with European capitals, whose diplomats are expected to meet swiftly to give their blessing to any deal struck at leader level – if indeed Trump and von der Leyen see eye to eye.
Donald Trump, seen Saturday, is set to swap the links for the negotiating table as he readies to sit down with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland on Sunday morning
Von der Leyen hopes to minimize the scale of Trump’s threatened further tariffs on the EU
The chances of the EU securing a deal with Trump appeared promising as the 79-year-old arrived in Scotland on Friday, where he said he hoped to strike ‘the biggest deal of them all’ with the EU.
Referring to von der Leyen simply as ‘Ursula’, Trump praised her as ‘a highly respected woman’ – a far cry from his former hostility in accusing the EU of existing to ‘screw’ the United States.
‘I think we have a good 50-50 chance’ of a deal, said the president – citing sticking points on ‘maybe 20 different things.’
The European Commission said Thursday it believed a deal was ‘in reach’, with Von der Leyen readying for crunch talks.
According to European diplomats, the agreement on the table involves a baseline 15 percent levy on EU exports to the United States – the same level secured by Japan – with carve-outs for critical sectors including aircraft, lumber and spirits excluding wine.
Some protesters hit out at the golf-loving president’s appearance over the weekend, with one seen holding a sign branding him ‘Agolf Hitler’
The chances of the EU securing a deal with Trump appeared promising as the 79-year-old arrived in Scotland on Friday, where he said he hoped to strike ‘the biggest deal of them all’ with the EU
The EU would also commit to ramp up purchases of US liquefied natural gas, as one of a series of investment pledges.
The European side was also hoping for a compromise on steel that could allow a certain quota to enter the United States, with amounts beyond that taxed at 50 percent.
Hit by multiple waves of tariffs since Trump reclaimed the White House, the EU is currently subject to a 25 percent levy on cars, 50 percent on steel and aluminum, and an across-the-board tariff of 10 percent, which Washington threatens to hike to 30 percent in a no-deal scenario.
The EU has focused on getting a deal with Washington to avoid sweeping tariffs from further harming its sluggish economy, with retaliation held out as a last resort.
Should talks fail, EU states have greenlit counter tariffs on $109 billion of US goods including aircraft and cars – to take effect in stages from August 7 – and Brussels is also drawing up a list of US services to potentially target.
Beyond that, countries like France say Brussels should not be afraid to deploy a so-called trade ‘bazooka’ to restrict access to its market and public contracts – but that would mark a major escalation with Washington.
Trump has embarked since returning to power on a campaign to reshape US trade with the world.
Having promised ’90 deals in 90 days,’ Trump’s administration has so far unveiled five, including with Britain, Japan and the Philippines.
