President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed several key issues during their meeting at his golf club in Turnberry in Scotland, including the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, a shortened deadline for Russia to end the war in Ukraine, and the ongoing fallout surrounding Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump emphasized the urgency of addressing starvation in Gaza, set a new 10 to 12-day deadline for Russia to reach a ceasefire, and denied any involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Starmer was accompanied by his wife, Victoria Starmer, as he arrived for the talks. Trump and Starmer shook hands and chatted outside before taking questions from reporters. Their conversation couldn’t be heard over the sound of bagpipes that serenaded the prime minister on his arrival.
Speaking to reporters, the U.S. President acknowledged the "terrible" situation in Gaza and stated that the U.S. would set up food centers to address the crisis, emphasizing the need to "get the kids fed." He criticized Israel's claims that there was "no starvation in Gaza," suggesting that the situation was real and required immediate action.
Trump told reporters after greeting Starmer in Turnberry, that the two leaders would discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and said he believed a ceasefire was still possible.
"The whole place is a mess," Trump said when asked if Israel has done enough to limit civilian deaths. "They have to get food and safety right now," he added.
Trump said that there was “real starvation” in Gaza, breaking with Israel as the U.S. ally faces intense pressure to lift restrictions on aid with hunger spreading in the besieged enclave.
His comments came amid mounting global outrage over rising deaths from malnutrition under Israel’s military offensive on the territory.
The Israel Defense Forces began limited pauses in fighting in three populated areas of Gaza on Sunday for 10 hours a day. But aid groups have warned the trickle of aid entering the enclave is not enough to stave off famine.
Trump emphasized the importance of getting food to children in Gaza. "We have to help on a humanitarian basis before we do anything, we have to get the kids fed," Trump said. He said the U.S. would help set up food centers and supply funds.
The President said that he had seen images of Palestinians on TV and that “those children look very hungry.” He later added that the scenes were “real starvation” and that “you can’t fake that.”
Trump also said Hamas won't release the remaining living hostages and suggested a different approach toward the group might be needed, without elaborating.
"I always said, when you get down to the final 20 they won't release them, because that's like their shield," Trump said. "And so something's going to have to be done."
Some of Trump's views were echoed by Vice President JD Vance, who said in response to a question at an event in Canton, Ohio Monday, that the Trump administration was “very worried about the humanitarian problem in Gaza” and wanted to make sure starving children got food.
"We are very worried about the humanitarian problem in Gaza," Vance said. "We see a lot of starving children. We want to make sure they get food."
He also said that they needed to ensure that Hamas "gets the hell out of Gaza." Vance recalled seeing images of "really, really heartbreaking cases" and kids "starving to death."
The partial easing of restrictions in Gaza under the new round of “tactical pauses” has done little to quell fears about the spiraling hunger crisis.
“This is progress, but vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis,” United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned in a statement.
During the press conference in Scotland, Trump announced he's considering a new deadline of "about 10 or 12 days" for Russia to end its war in Ukraine, expressing disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He warned of potential secondary sanctions on countries that continue to trade with Russia if a ceasefire is not reached.
Trump told reporters that he might move ahead with severe tariffs and secondary sanctions on Russia earlier than a 50-day deadline he imposed in mid-July for reaching a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine.
“I’m going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number because I think I already know the answer, what’s going to happen,” Trump said.
"I'm going to make a new deadline of about 10 or 12 days from today," Trump said. "There's no reason we’re waiting," he added.
Responding to questions about late child sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, Trump said he threw him out of his Mar-a-Lago club and cut ties with him years ago because “he stole people who worked for me.”
Trump said Epstein poached at least one more employee from him after he was warned not to do it again.
“That’s such old history, very easy to explain, but I don’t want to waste your time by explaining it,” Trump said after a reporter asked him about what led to the rift between the two men and Epstein’s exile from Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida, club.
“But for years, I wouldn’t talk to Jeffrey Epstein. I wouldn’t talk because he did something that was inappropriate,” the president said.
“He hired help, and I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He stole people that work for me. I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He did it again,” Trump said.
Epstein then became “persona non grata,” Trump said.
“I threw him out, and that was it. I’m glad I did, if you want to know the truth,” he said.
Trump emphasized he never visited Epstein's infamous island and saying he had "never gone to the island" and "turned it down in one of my very good moments."
The President also said that no one had approached him about pardoning convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, an accomplice to Epstein.
"I'm allowed to give her a pardon, but ... nobody's approached me with it. Nobody's asked me about it," Trump told reporters when asked about the issue. The president added that it would "inappropriate" to talk about the matter.
Trump also said that the Epstein files are a "hoax" that he said has been "built up way beyond proportion."
"Those files were run by the worst scum on Earth," Trump said in answer to a reporter's question.
"They were run by Comey, they were run by Garland, they were run by Biden, and all of the people that actually ran the government, including the auto-pen," Trump said, referring to former FBI director James Comey, whom he fired during his first term, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, and former President Joe Biden.
"Those files were run for four years by those people," Trump continued. "If they had anything, I assume they would have released it. The whole thing is a hoax. They ran the files. I was running against somebody that ran the files, if they had something, they would have released it. Now they can easily put something in the files that’s a phony," he said.
Responding to a question about recent Wall Street Journal report that said Trump drew a photo of a naked woman in a birthday book for Epstein, Trump said, "I don't do drawings. I'm not a drawing person. I don't do drawings. Sometimes people say, 'Would you draw a building?' And I'll draw four lines and a little roof, you know, for charity stuff, but I'm not a drawing person. I don't do drawings of women — that I can tell you."
Speaking to reporters back in Ohio, about Epstein, Vance said that Trump wants "full transparency" in into Jeffrey Epstein and he criticized past administrations for their handling of the case.
"You ought to go after the administrations that went easy on Jeffrey Epstein, the administrations that concealed this case for 20 years and the administrations that failed to show full transparency," he said. "Donald J Trump, I’m telling you, he’s got nothing to hide, his administration has got nothing to hide, and that’s why he’s been an advocate for full transparency in this case."
During his remarks to reporters in Scotland, Monday, Trump also slammed London Mayor Sadiq Khan, calling him a "nasty person" and stating that he has "done a terrible job."
PM Starmer, who was seated beside Trump, intervened to defend Khan, saying, "He's a friend of mine, actually." Trump, however, continued to express his disapproval of Khan, reiterating his view that the mayor has performed poorly, but he also confirmed that he would visit London during his upcoming state visit to the UK in September.
Trump and Khan have had a long-standing feud, with Trump previously calling Khan a "stone cold loser" and "very dumb" Khan has also criticized Trump's policies, including his travel ban on people from certain Muslim countries.
After their meeting in Turnberry, Starmer flew with Trump aboard Marine One to outside Aberdeen, where the Trump Organization has a second golf course. The President is on a 4-day trip to Scotland, where he announced a trade deal with European Union President Ursula Von Der Leyen.
