U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would “love” to see British-run Northern Ireland unify with Ireland, remarks made during a visit to Dublin that drew a sharp response from pro-British unionists in Northern Ireland.
The meetings with Ireland's president and prime minister are not part of an official state visit.
Trump's comments come weeks after new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the United Kingdom was “off the table”, a position Downing Street on Saturday said remained unchanged.
“Well, I don't want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I'd love to see it unified,” Trump told reporters sitting next to Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin after the pair met in Dublin. “It's going to happen eventually ... I think it would be a fantastic thing.”
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.
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.
Romanian authorities are searching for missing crew members following an incident involving a ship in the Black Sea. Romanian President Nicusor Dan...
Missile and drone attacks have put Saudi Arabia on high alert, disrupting life in Riyadh and testing a new defence pact with Türkiye and Pakis...
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Belarus are preparing to supply Tajikistan with weapons and military equipment by the end of 2026, as a series o...
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on Dammam airport, while Iran's IRGC Navy claimed strikes on seven vessels and warned the U.S. of a wider response.
Russia is willing in principle to resume peace talks with Ukraine and the United States in November, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after President Vladimir Putin met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
Yemen's Houthis have denied targeting the holy city of Medina on Wednesday adding that they have not conducted any military operations towards Saudi Arabia either, denying earlier comments from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Super typhoon Champi is set to batter Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture from Friday (23 October), bringing violent winds, torrential rain and waves up to 11 metres high, as airlines cancel flights and organisers scrap a major festival.
Missile and drone attacks have put Saudi Arabia on high alert, disrupting life in Riyadh and testing a new defence pact with Türkiye and Pakistan as regional tensions escalate.
Romanian authorities are searching for missing crew members following an incident involving a ship in the Black Sea. Romanian President Nicusor Dan attributed the incident to Russian escalation.
From Typhoon Champi in Taiwan and a deadly earthquake in Tibet to severe flooding across Europe and Latin America, communities on several continents have faced a week of devastating weather and natural disasters.
A powerful magnitude 7 earthquake has struck Tibet in southwestern China, killing 16 people and injuring 65, while forcing more than 12,000 residents to relocate as rescue teams respond to widespread aftershocks.
Almost all of Taiwan shut down on Friday ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Champi, which is forecast to bring strong winds and torrential rain to the island.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment