Trump and Starmer to discuss Gaza ceasefire and US-UK trade at president’s Scottish golf course: Live updates

John Swinney has accepted an invitation to have dinner with Trump in Aberdeenshire tonight, according to Sky News.

The private dinner is set to take place ahead of a series of talks between the two leaders tomorrow.

Mr Swinney, who previously called for his official State visit to be cancelled, has pledged to ‘essentially speak out for Scotland’.

He said previously: As we welcome the President of the United States, Scotland will be showcased on the world stage. This provides Scotland with a platform to make its voice heard on the issues that matter, including war and peace, justice and democracy’

Since Trump’s arrival in Scotland on Friday, he has spent a significant amount of time at his treasured course.

On Saturday, he blocked off the day and hit the course early. Sporting a white USA baseball hat, he was joined by his son Eric Trump, who Trump says ‘is going to cut a ribbon’ when Trump inaugurates his new course in Aberdeenshire.

Also on the course with Trump at Turnberry was U.S. Ambassador Warren Stephens and his son, according to the White House.

Donald Trump, Jr. and his girlfriend Bettina Anderson were also present.

The Daily Mail has asked the White House for further information about which family members are accompanying Trump on the trip. None were seen traveling with him to Scotland aboard Air Force One. First lady Melania Trump is not expected on the golf-centered trip.

Since arriving in Scotland, Donald Trump has praised Sir Keir Starmer for ‘doing a very good job’.

And, during his talks with Mr Trump today, the PM will hope to use his apparently warm relationship with the US President to secure American action on key issues.

The Gaza crisis is expected to be Sir Keir’s priority during his meeting with Mr Trump.

He will hope to persuade the US President to increase diplomatic pressure on Israel over humanitarian aid to Gaza, with the PM said to be ‘horrified’ by images of starvation.

Sir Keir will also seek to convince Mr Trump to keep trying for a new ceasefire in the Middle East, after talks reached a standstill last week and the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams.

During talks on another conflict, the PM will hope to persuade the US President to ratchet up pressure on Vladimir Putin to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

British officials have been heartened by a shift in Mr Trump’s stance towards Russia in recent weeks.

Prior to travelling to Britain, the US President floated the possibility of further sanctions on Moscow in a bid to force Mr Putin to negotiate a peace deal.

But while Sir Keir will be hopeful of foreign policy wins in his talks with Mr Trump, the Government has played down the prospect of a further breakthrough on US-UK trade.

The two leaders are set to discuss ‘fine-tuning’ the trade agreement they signed earlier this year.

Yet hopes are slim among UK ministers of getting Mr Trump to agree this week to lower tariffs on British steel imports to America.

In February, Sir Keir Starmer travelled to the White House to visit Trump for the first time since he won the 2024 US Presidential Election.

During the discussion, the PM presented Trump with a letter from King Charles II, inviting him to the UK for a state visit.

In response, Trump accepted the invitation and described it as an ‘honour’.

The two engaged in discussions that included trade, with Trump confirming that the pair could reach a deal ‘very quickly’, joking that the PM was a ‘tough negotiator’.

Discussions surrounding Ukraine were also high on the table, with both leaders insisting they were willing to work together with the goal of peace.

Trump called Starmer a ‘very special person’, speaking about the ‘special relationship’ between the US and UK that was ‘like no other’.

Starmer also praised Trump for his role in attempting to achieve peace in Ukraine, describing the visit as ‘very good and very productive’.

Hundreds of protestores gathered in Edinburgh on Saturday, July, 26, to decry Trump’s visit.

The protests seemed to be far from Trump’s mind as he played golf alongside his son, Eric, and with the US ambassador to Britain, Warren Stephens, near Turnberry, a historic course that the Trump family’s company took over in 2014.

At Tunberry, where protestors also gathered, security was tight and protesters were kept some distance away, unable to be seen by the group during Trump’s round.

Trump is set to welcome Starmer for talks at his Turnberry golf resort in South Ayrshire this morning, the third full day of the US president’s private visit to Scotland.

The US president, who played a second round of golf at Turnberry on Sunday, will open a second 18-hole course on his Menie estate at Balmedie in Aberdeenshire later.

Ahead of his visit, a huge security operation involving officers from across the UK occured with a 10ft-high metal barrier, a ‘ring of steel’ installed at Turnberry to help protect the President.

He touched down at Prestwick Airport on Friday evening and has spent the last two days playing golf with friends and guests.

When he landed, he said it was ‘great to be in Scotland’ and spoke highly of Sir Keir, remarking to journalists on the tarmac: ‘I like your prime minister. He’s slightly more liberal than I am – as you probably heard – but he’s a good man. He got a trade deal done.’

Trump added: ‘You know, they’ve been working on this deal for 12 years, he got it done – that’s a good deal, it’s a good deal for the UK.’

Her also described Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney as a ‘good man’ and said that he was looking forward to their meeting over the weekend.

Gaza and transatlantic trade are set to be key topics discussed at today’s meeting, with Downing Street previously stating that the PM would discuss ‘what more can be done to secure the ceasefire [in the Middle East] urgently’.

The two leaders are also anticipated to discuss yesterday’s trade agreement reached between the US and EU, with the PM likely to press the president for a lowering of current tariffs on certain imports, such as steel.

Speaking from his Turnberry golf course, Trump yesterday said European Union countries would purchase $750 billion of energy from the U.S., and provide an additional $600 billion in U.S. investments.

‘All of the countries will be opened up to trade with the United States at zero tariff, and they’re agreeing to purchase a vast amount of military equipment,’ Trump added. ‘We don’t know what that number is.’

The deal was described by Trump as a ‘very powerful deal’ as well as ‘a very big deal. It’s the biggest of all the deals.’ He also called it ‘the biggest deal ever made.’

‘We wanted to rebalance the trade relations,’ said EU Commission Chair Ursula von der Leyen, confirming the agreement while sitting alongside Trump.

US President Trump landed into Prestwick Airport on Friday evening before leaving for his Turnberry resort, in South Ayrshire.

But many Scottish residents came out in protest at the President’s visit, with Anti-Trump demonstrators gathering at a rally in Aberdeen organised by the campaign group, Stop Trump Coalition.

Good morning – welcome to our live coverage as President Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer are set to meet on his golf course in Turnberry, Scotland today!

As we anticipate the meeting between the two world leaders, here is what we know to expect of today’s meeting: