Trump: “my drive on first hole? no Joe Biden; not pressuring Israel rewarding Hamas; Russia 10 days

From the Scottish golf course, Trump offered characteristic humor, diplomatic firmness, and news-making. On his opening drive: “Did you get to see my driver in the first haul? You hit it straight, pretty long. Pretty long … That’s no Joe Biden, let me tell you.” A comparison with the former president’s physical decline. On Israel and Gaza ceasefire pressure: “I think you could make the case that you’re rewarding people, that you’re rewarding Hamas. If you do that, I don’t think they should be rewarded. So I’m not in that camp.” On the children of Gaza: “There’s nothing you can say other than it’s terrible when you see the kids, and those are kids, you know, whether they talk starvation or not, those are kids that are starving … They gotta get them food, and we’re gonna get them food.” And the headline scoop — Trump confirmed the Russia deadline: “10 days from today."

"That’s No Joe Biden”

Trump’s opening on the golf course. “Did you get to see my driver in the first haul? You hit it straight, pretty long. Pretty long. Pretty long. Let’s start your bite. Let me tell you. That’s not biting, right? That was a good drive.”

“That’s no Joe Biden, let me tell you” is the framing that will travel. Trump is comparing his own physical capability on a golf course (in his late 70s) to Biden’s visible decline during the same age. The contrast: Trump driving the ball pretty straight, pretty long. Biden, by public accounts, increasingly incapable of navigating stairs, sentences, or basic physical activities.

That comparison is characteristic Trump. He uses specific physical-capability demonstrations to emphasize his own health while invoking Biden’s decline as contrast. The “no Joe Biden” framing will be quoted in commentary for days.

Pressuring Israel: “Rewarding Hamas”

The reporter’s question. “Is there an esoteric pressuring Israel now to come to some sort of longer term solution?”

Trump’s answer. “Well, I think you could make the case that you’re rewarding people, that you’re rewarding Hamas. If you do that, I don’t think they should be rewarded. So I’m not in that camp, to be honest.”

That is the Trump position on Israel-Gaza. He will not pressure Israel into concessions that Hamas would treat as reward for its October 7 attack and subsequent refusal to negotiate.

“Rewarding Hamas” is the critical framing. Many international voices — European governments, UN officials, some American liberals — have argued Israel must accept ceasefire terms favorable to Hamas to achieve a cessation of hostilities. Trump’s counter-framing: any ceasefire terms that give Hamas what it wanted produces reward for terrorism. That reward incentivizes future terrorism.

“We’ll let you know where we are at, but I am not in that camp.”

“Not in that camp” is definitive. Trump is not pressuring Israel. The U.S. position is that Israel’s military operations continue until Hamas is defeated or capitulates. Ceasefire terms that preserve Hamas governance of Gaza — terms Hamas has been demanding — are not acceptable.

”If You Do That, You Really Are Rewarding Hamas”

“Mr. President, you’re… Because if you do that, you really are rewarding Hamas. I’m not about to do that.”

Trump repeating the framing. Not about to do it. The repetition emphasizes commitment.

For international audiences pushing the ceasefire framing, Trump’s position is the stopping point. The U.S. will not pressure Israel. Whatever ceasefire emerges has to be acceptable to Israel, not imposed on Israel.

Melania on Gaza

“I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, no role in talking to you about the war in Ukraine, and perhaps a big part of your evolution in thinking. Have you just noticed the crisis in Gaza and the terrible…”

That is the reporter’s question. Has Trump’s thinking on Gaza evolved because Melania has been discussing it with him?

Trump: “I have, but she thinks it’s terrible, and she sees the same pictures that you see, and that we all see. And I think everybody, unless they’re pretty cold-hearted or worse than that, nuts.”

Melania’s influence on Trump’s Gaza thinking is confirmed. The First Lady has been part of the conversation. She views the situation as terrible. That view has been part of what has shaped the administration’s posture — the humanitarian escalation, the airdrops, the food aid.

“She thinks it’s terrible” is Trump’s direct statement about Melania’s view. That is unusual public acknowledgment of a policy influence from the First Lady.

”Those Are Kids That Are Starving”

“There’s nothing you can say other than it’s terrible when you see the kids, and those are kids, you know, whether they talk starvation or not, those are kids that are starving. That’s… I mean, they are starving.”

“Whether they talk starvation or not, those are kids that are starving.” That is a significant framing. Trump is acknowledging that the debate about whether Gaza’s situation constitutes “famine” or “starvation” in formal terms is secondary. The factual reality — children who are starving — is what matters.

“And you see the mothers, they love them so much, and there’s just nothing they seem to be able to do.”

That is Trump’s emotional response to the Gaza imagery. Mothers who love their starving children without being able to help them. The image is universal — it transcends political framing. Trump’s response to the image is empathetic.

“They gotta get them food, and we’re gonna get them food.”

The action. “We’re gonna get them food.” The administration is committed to the humanitarian delivery. The airdrops, the ground aid, the UK partnership — all aimed at getting food to Gaza’s starving children.

The Russia 10-Day Scoop

The reporter’s question. “Yesterday, you mentioned that you would change the Russia deadline to 10 to 12 days. Has that started yet, or when can we, you know, see the official statement that that is the new deadline?”

Trump’s answer. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll give it to you now. Do you want a big scoop? Yes, please. Everybody else close your ears, okay? You ready? I’m ready. 10 days from today. Got it. Okay? Got it. Have you commuted? We have a scoop. Thank you.”

“10 days from today” — that is the confirmed, definitive Russia deadline. The original 50-day ultimatum was first compressed to 10-12 days. Now compressed to a specific 10 days.

That is the secondary-tariff activation trigger. If Russia does not come to a deal within 10 days of this statement, the 100% secondary tariffs on countries continuing substantial business with Russia activate.

The Secondary Tariffs

“And then, you know, we’re gonna put on tariffs and stuff, and I don’t know if it’s gonna affect Russia, because he wants to obviously probably keep the war going, but we’re gonna put on tariffs the various things that you put on. It may or may not affect them, but it could.”

“May or may not affect them, but it could.” Trump is being honest about the uncertainty. Secondary tariffs impose costs on countries that trade with Russia. Those countries may shift their Russia trade in response. They may not. Russia may feel the indirect pressure. Russia may absorb the costs indirectly.

The key insight: Trump is not claiming secondary tariffs will definitely force Russia into a deal. He is deploying them because the alternative — continuing the current pattern of failed negotiations — is worse than escalating pressure. Whether the pressure produces a deal is the 10-day test.

“Because he wants to obviously probably keep the war going.” That is Trump’s assessment of Putin’s posture. Putin, in Trump’s framing, wants to continue the war. The Russian leadership has calculated that continued war produces outcomes preferable to any currently available deal. Trump’s job is to change that calculation by making continued war more costly than a deal.

The Scottish Trip Wrap

The segment closed with Trump’s return to the U.S. after the Scotland trip. “After a successful trip to Scotland — along with trade deals and peace deals — President Donald J. Trump is back in the U.S.”

The Scotland trip produced: EU trade deal, Cambodia-Thailand ceasefire confirmation, Starmer meeting on immigration and UK-U.S. cooperation, the Russia deadline compression, the Gaza airdrop agreement with UK, plus the informal diplomacy that always accompanies international presidential travel.

That is a substantial outcome for a single international trip. Most presidential trips produce one headline deal. Trump’s Scotland trip produced multiple.

The return to Washington means return to the domestic political environment — the Democratic reactions, the media coverage, the ongoing Fed pressure, the congressional appropriations fight, the Epstein document pressure. All of that was waiting upon his return.

Three Threads, One Posture

Trump’s Scotland engagement produced three distinct policy threads. Israel-Gaza: don’t reward Hamas. Russia: 10-day deadline confirmed. Gaza children: humanitarian food delivery continues. Each reflects a specific administration commitment.

The Israel framing is unusual for its directness. Most American presidents have been careful with public framing of Israel policy, preferring diplomatic ambiguity. Trump is explicit — no ceasefire pressure that rewards Hamas.

The Russia framing is unusually short. 10 days is not the usual diplomatic timeline. Normal Russia diplomacy operates on months-and-years timeframes. Trump’s 10-day compression reflects a specific judgment that Putin is not negotiating in good faith and that shorter deadlines force actual decisions.

The Gaza children framing is unusually personal. Trump describing seeing the mothers, seeing the children, acknowledging that starvation is happening regardless of debate about formal designations. That framing reflects Melania’s influence but also Trump’s own response to the imagery.

Key Takeaways

• Trump on his golf drive: “That’s no Joe Biden, let me tell you” — the direct physical-capability comparison with the former president.
• Trump on Israel ceasefire pressure: “If you do that, you really are rewarding Hamas. I’m not about to do that.”
• On Melania’s Gaza concern: “She thinks it’s terrible, and she sees the same pictures that you see” — with Trump confirming his own thinking has evolved through those conversations.
• On starving Gaza children: “Whether they talk starvation or not, those are kids that are starving … They gotta get them food, and we’re gonna get them food.”
• The Russia scoop: “10 days from today” — the definitive compressed deadline for the secondary-tariff activation.