In Scotland, President Trump pledges more food aid for Gaza and threatens a tighter deadline for Russia sanctions.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
President Trump broke with Israel today after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that people in Gaza are not starving. Trump said that he doesn’t think that’s accurate. The president spoke to reporters as he met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his golf club in Turnberry, Scotland. Trump said that he’s working with Starmer and other European allies to set up food centers in Gaza. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez is traveling with the president and joins us now from Aberdeen. Hi, Franco.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Hey, Ailsa.
CHANG: OK, so unlike the meeting with the European Union this week and I understand the conversation with Prime Minister Starmer focused less on trade and more on Gaza, is that correct?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, for sure. I mean, it was largely on the food crisis and those devastating images of malnourished children that keep coming out of Gaza right now. And when Trump was asked about Israel’s claims that there was no starvation in Gaza, Trump, as you said, didn’t agree.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I don’t know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly ’cause those children look very hungry. But we’re giving a lot of money and a lot of food, and other nations are now stepping up.
ORDOÑEZ: Now, he also didn’t offer a lot of details but said that the U.S. and European partners would set up these food centers, which Trump said people would be able to walk to more freely without being blocked by fences and other boundaries.
CHANG: Well, what did Starmer have to say about the Gaza situation?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, Starmer was even more definitive on this front. He’s calling the situation a, quote, “absolute catastrophe,” while adding that more pressure needs to be exerted on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza.
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PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER: Speaking for the British public and myself, seeing those images of starving children in particular are revolting. And there’s a sense of revulsion in the British public at what they’re seeing. And they know and we know that humanitarian aid needs to get in at speed, at volume.
CHANG: OK, well, beyond Gaza, I understand that Trump also commented on Russia and the war in Ukraine, right?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, he says he’s not happy with the lack of progress on a ceasefire and particularly disappointed with Russian President Vladimir Putin after recent strikes killing civilians. Now, earlier this month, Trump had given Putin a 50-day deadline to reach a ceasefire. That would have been until September. But now Trump says he’s moving that up.
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TRUMP: I’m going to make a new deadline of about 10 or 12 days from today. There’s no reason in waiting. There’s no reason in waiting. It’s 50 days. I want to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made.
ORDOÑEZ: Trump has threatened to punish Moscow by putting economic penalties on its trade partners. Trump lamented that Russia would be better off, including economically, if it would just stop the war.
CHANG: Well, meanwhile, on the domestic front, President Trump still has not been able to escape the political drama surrounding the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. I’m curious, any updates there while in Scotland?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, I’ll tell you that the topic has definitely followed him here to Scotland. I mean, there was actually a van with a large image of Trump and Epstein together, and that van was driving through downtown Aberdeen, where more protests are planned during Trump’s visit here. And Trump has done his best to try to avoid the issue, but he’s fielding daily questions from the press, and he’s also continuing to feel pressure from inside MAGA world who want more information.
CHANG: OK, well, what is the rest of the trip in Scotland looking like?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, he’s having dinner tonight with the British prime minister, and he’s also going to meet with the Scottish first minister. He’s also, tomorrow, going to open up his third golf course in Scotland. He plans to play the first round there tomorrow before returning to the U.S.
CHANG: That is NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez in Scotland. Thank you, Franco.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you.
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