In his second term, Trump is bolder, tougher, and more powerful than ever

President Donald Trump staged a dramatic display of political dominance in Scotland on Monday, hosting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his lavish Turnberry golf resort in a scene more reminiscent of royal pageantry than a diplomatic meeting.

To the sound of traditional Scottish bagpipes, Trump greeted Starmer on land that once belonged to his Scottish-born mother — a symbolic reminder of his personal roots and political might. While Starmer arrived as the head of government of the United Kingdom, he appeared more like a guest in Trump’s domain.

The day’s events included a surreal press conference in which Trump digressed through topics such as his disdain for wind energy, the aesthetics of his ballroom windows, and even Windsor Castle — relegating Starmer to a silent background role.

In an unprecedented move that reversed protocol, Trump then flew the British Prime Minister aboard Air Force One across Scotland to another of his private golf properties — a theatrical display of American military and diplomatic dominance.

A day earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had also visited Turnberry, praising a trade deal with the U.S. that some European critics denounced as a capitulation to Trump’s tariff-heavy policies.

Six months into his second term, Trump’s aggressive tactics are reshaping both global and domestic power structures. He has:

• Undermined global free trade by replacing it with bilateral deals centered on tariffs.

• Ordered U.S. stealth bombers to strike Iranian nuclear sites.

• Forced NATO allies to vastly increase defense spending.

• Intimidated Congress into legislative submission.

• Pushed his ideology into major academic institutions.

• Compelled private law firms to provide legal services to him.

• Weaponized the U.S. justice system against political opponents.

• Effectively sealed the U.S.-Mexico border to undocumented migrants.

Trump's actions in Scotland served as a clear signal: the second Trump presidency is not just a repeat of the first — it's an even more assertive and unapologetically imperial era of American politics.