Trump meets Ireland's leaders ahead of golf tournament

Trump meets Ireland's leaders ahead of golf tournament
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Irish President Catherine Connolly at Aras an Uachtarain in Dublin, Ireland, 12 September 2026.
Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Dublin on Saturday to meet Ireland’s leaders. He will also attend a golf tournament at one of his resorts, taking a brief detour from his focus on the Iran war and his party’s efforts to retain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.

The meetings with Ireland's president and prime minister are not part of an official state visit.

But coming after this week's Republican convention and the 25th anniversary of the 11 September attacks, the talks could include politically sensitive topics such as economic issues and Irish leaders' concerns over the Iran war. 

Trump is making his 48-hour foreign trip as his Republican Party campaigns to keep its majorities in both chambers of the U.S. Congress. The Iran conflict has heightened economic concerns among American voters by raising gas prices nationwide. 

He was greeted by Ireland's deputy prime minister and foreign minister on the tarmac at Dublin Airport.

U.S. President Donald Trump participates in an arrival ceremony at Aras an Uachtarain in Dublin, Ireland, 12 September 2026.
Reuters

Anti-war and anti-Trump protests are planned in Dublin and in western Ireland near the Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg. 

U.S.- Ireland ties

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has so far avoided political flaps with the U.S.

“The relationship between Ireland and the United States is very important economically,” Martin told reporters when asked about Trump's weekend trip. “It's very, very significant both ways.”

U.S.-owned companies employ about 10 per cent of workers in Ireland after successive governments prioritised their jobs and corporate tax revenue over decades, handing Ireland the healthiest public finances in Europe in recent years. 

In Dublin on Saturday, Irish President Catherine Connolly, elected head of state last year, will have more direct interaction with Trump than she had during his first presidential visit in 2019.

Including Trump, eight sitting U.S. presidents have visited Ireland, starting with John F. Kennedy in 1963. But this trip has some hallmarks of Trump's typical weekends, which often revolve around golf outings at his company's properties.

The Trump Organisation took control in 2014 of the Doonbeg course, which is hosting the Irish Open golf tournament this weekend. Trump is expected to help present the trophy on Sunday to the tournament champion. 

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