LONDON
US President Donald Trump said Friday that French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognize the state of Palestine is "fine; it's up to him."
Speaking to reporters shortly after landing at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, Trump said Macron's plan to recognize Palestinian statehood is not up to him.
"That's what he does; that's fine. It's up to him. It's not up to me," he said when asked about the French president's move.
When asked about a potential EU-US trade deal, he reiterated that he sees a "50-50 chance."
Meanwhile, the president said he "likes" UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, adding: "He's slightly more liberal than I am, but I like him."
He noted that he will meet the British premier Saturday. "We're going to do some great things."
Downing Street said, however, that the Starmer-Trump meeting is expected to take place Monday.
'Immigration is killing Europe'
Turning to immigration, Trump suggested that a "horrible invasion" is happening to Europe, and "immigration is killing Europe."
"You're not going to have Europe anymore. You got to get your act together," he said, noting that last month "nobody" entered in the US, but Europe, however, is allowing it to happen.
He said the windmills are "ruining" countries.
"It's so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds, and if they're stuck in the ocean, ruining your oceans, stop the windmills," he added.
Trump arrived in Scotland for a five-day private visit as part of his first visit to the UK since his reelection.
He is expected to open a new 18-hole golf course at Trump International near Balmedie but also expected to meet Starmer as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris would officially recognize Palestine during the UN General Assembly in September.
Early Friday, Germany, the UK, and France said they opposed any attempts to impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories.
Nine more Palestinians have died in the past 24 hours due to famine and malnutrition, bringing the total number of starvation-related deaths to 122, the Gaza Health Ministry said early Friday.
Israel has killed more than 59,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system, and led to severe food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
