A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The United States says it has a trade deal with the European Union. President Trump announced the agreement with Ursula von der Leyen, who is a top EU leader. Now, from what we know so far, American firms are promised more access to European markets, and the U.S. will impose a 15% tariff - a tax that Americans pay on European imports. The president made this announcement in Scotland, where he has been golfing and meeting with European leaders. NPR's Lauren Frayer has been covering the trip - joins us now from Aberdeen. So, Lauren, tell us first about this trade announcement.
LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: Yeah, A. This is a trade framework for the world's two biggest economies. It'll allow U.S. goods to enter the EU tax-free, and it'll put a 15% tariff on EU products sold in America. So that'll include European cars that are sold in the U.S., but it may not include certain pharmaceuticals. We're awaiting details on how this will affect a variety of industries.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. So the U.S. gets to sell stuff into the European Union tariff-free. What does the EU then get out of this?
FRAYER: Well, Trump had threatened 30% tariffs on EU goods, starting this Friday, August 1. Now, that's being halved, reduced to 15%. So from the EU perspective, you know, it could have been a lot worse.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. Now, the announcement came while the president is in Scotland. He's playing golf. So what kind of reception has he been getting there?
FRAYER: Trump has deep family ties here. His late mother was born and raised in Scotland. She was actually a native Gaelic speaker. There was a small group of Trump supporters waving signs at one of his golf courses over the weekend, but there have been many more protesters. They lined his motorcade route, waving photos of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. There are lots of Palestinian flags and signs criticizing what some see as Trump's inaction on starvation in Gaza. At a protest outside the U.S. consulate in Edinburgh, we actually met a distant relative of Trump's mother. His mother's name was Mary MacLeod. This protester is Janet MacLeod-Trotter, and she reads aloud the sign that she's holding.
JANET MACLEOD-TROTTER: MacLeods against Trump because a lot of MacLeods are very, very upset. He just comes over and uses his power to buy up golf courses and line his own pockets.
FRAYER: A recent poll found more than 70% of people in Scotland have an unfavorable view of Trump.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, he's there on a private trip, but he did squeeze in some EU negotiations in between all the golf. Now, what else is on the agenda?
FRAYER: He's spending much of today with the U.K. prime minister, Keir Starmer. On his way into a meeting with Starmer, Trump was asked if he agrees with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that there is no starvation in Gaza, and here's how President Trump replied.
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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. I know that this nation is...
PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER: It's a humanitarian crisis.
TRUMP: Right.
STARMER: It's an absolute catastrophe.
FRAYER: And that's Starmer there, the U.K. prime minister, chiming in. He said Britons are revolted by what they're seeing in Gaza. That was on their way into a meeting. Now they've been speaking again, and Trump said, quote, "there is real starvation. You can't fake that." They're (ph) also been talking about pressing for a ceasefire in Gaza. You know, Starmer has been under pressure from his own lawmakers to recognize a Palestinian state, and Trump was asked what he thinks of that. He said he doesn't mind Starmer taking a position on that. He just wants people fed. And Trump also said, everyone's hearts are in the right place on this issue.
They're talking about setting up new food centers in Gaza that President Trump said are walk-in, with no boundaries. And they've also been talking about the U.S.-U.K. trade deal that they agreed a couple of months ago - also, Ukraine, energy, a host of other issues.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's NPR's Lauren Frayer in Aberdeen, Scotland. Get around it, if you can, Lauren. Thanks a lot.
FRAYER: Thanks, A. I'll try. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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