Trump Says He’d ‘Love’ a United Ireland, Kicking Off Visit With a Political Jolt
DUBLIN — President Trump said Saturday he would “love” to see a united Ireland, stepping straight into one of the island’s most sensitive debates as he began a visit that mixes official talks, business networking and a stop at his own oceanfront golf resort.
During a meeting in Dublin with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Trump said the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, “may as well” unify now. “I don’t want to cause any problems but I’d love to see it unified. I think it would be a fantastic thing,” he said, adding that “the U.K. will have something to say about it, obviously.”
The remark lands in a century-old dispute. When Ireland became a self-governing, Roman Catholic-majority country, six northern counties with a Protestant majority remained in the U.K. Tensions between Protestant unionists, who wanted to stay British, and Catholic nationalists, who wanted to join the rest of Ireland, helped drive three decades of violence.
The 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which the United States helped broker, largely ended that bloodshed but left Northern Ireland’s constitutional future unresolved. Brexit has since added new friction over trade, borders and identity, keeping the question of a unity referendum alive even as London says it is not on the table.
Trump’s comments quickly drew a rebuke from unionism. Gavin Robinson, leader of the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party, said on X that unionists were “not interested in the destruction of our country by joining with the Irish Republic.” U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham insisted last month that a unity referendum was “off the table,” prompting a sharp response from the pro-unity party Sinn Féin.
Trump also held talks Saturday in Dublin with Irish President Catherine Connolly. He addressed U.S. and Irish business leaders at the U.S. ambassador’s official residence before traveling to Doonbeg, on the other side of the country, to watch the Irish Open at his oceanfront golf club.
The visit was not universally welcomed. Some residents complained about traffic and security disruptions. “He’s causing mayhem in this city because he wants to go down to Doonbeg and play golf,” said taxi driver Christopher Fox, who made clear he is not a fan. “The world’s in turmoil and this fella’s down playing golf.”
University student Mina Petrovski said Trump’s “attitudes towards women, towards immigrants, towards minority communities in general are abhorrent.” She called it “shameful that the Irish government is welcoming him with open arms.”
Separately, a collection of left-leaning opposition parties, anti-military groups, pro-Palestinian organizations, environmentalists and others planned to demonstrate against the president in Dublin on Saturday.
For Trump, the Irish trip fits a familiar pattern. An avid golfer, he frequently plays at clubs he owns in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia, and he has increasingly appeared at high-profile sporting events—sometimes with a hand in organizing them in ways that benefit his family business. His clubs in Doral, Florida, and Bedminster, New Jersey, have each hosted professional golf tournaments this year.
The Irish Open is the second European Tour event held at a Trump property this year. The Nexo Championship was held last month at his golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland.
The political reaction underscored how quickly a presidential visit can become a referendum on Trump himself. In Dublin, his endorsement of a united Ireland may energize nationalists while alarming unionists; in London, it could complicate already delicate post-Brexit relations. And in Doonbeg, the spotlight will again fall on a resort that stands to gain from the president’s presence.