in brief
- Donald Trump triggered a diplomatic row by publicly backing a united Ireland during his Dublin visit.
- His comments drew sharp UK criticism alongside mass protests and high security across Ireland.
Donald Trump has triggered a diplomatic row after backing a united Ireland during a visit to Dublin, wading into a politically sensitive subject as he embarked on a two-day Irish visit that blurs the lines between his presidency and personal business interests.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, the US president claimed Irish reunification was inevitable, adding it "may as well happen now".
His comments brought a stern rebuke from the Conservatives in the UK while Downing Street pointed to Prime Minister Andy Burnham's rejection of an immediate border poll earlier in the week.
"I'd love to see it unified. I think it would be a great feather in everybody's cap if that happened. It's going to happen eventually," Trump said, answering a question from the Press Association.
Referencing Irish Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, sitting next to him, Trump added: "We're talking about it and you got the right man over here to get it moving."
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"But, yeah, I think it would be a fantastic thing... Now the UK will have something to say about it, obviously. But I think it would be a great thing. I mean, how can it be bad?"
The United States has previously adopted a neutral position on the issue, with the island of Ireland split between the Irish republic in the south and Northern Ireland — which is part of the United Kingdom — since 1921.
Northern Ireland 'not interested' in unification
The comments are likely to further strain relations between the US and the UK, with Trump also casting doubt on Britain's ability to defend the Falkland Islands during the visit.
On Wednesday, Burnham told MPs a border poll would only be considered when there was "a clear consensus in the country".
Asked about Trump's comments, a spokesperson for Downing Street referred reporters to comments Burnham made in parliament when he vowed to "stick to the Good Friday Agreement 100 percent".
Conservative deputy leader Alex Burghart said Trump was "very wrong", adding Northern Ireland was "an integral part" of the UK.
The row could also complicate Washington's relations with Northern Irish parties. While the socialist republican party Sinn Féin has boycotted the annual St Patrick's Day visit to Washington over Trump's Middle East policy, leading unionist parties, the Democratic Unionist Party and Ulster Unionist Party, have continued to engage with the president.
In response to his comments, DUP leader Gavin Robinson said Northern Ireland's future would be decided by its people, not "commentary in London, Dublin or Washington".
"We are not interested in the destruction of our country by joining with the Irish Republic," he said on X.
Under the terms of the 1988 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, which ended three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, the UK's Northern Ireland secretary can decide to hold a border poll, and has a duty to call one if it appears likely a majority would vote for Irish unification. The people of the Republic of Ireland must also vote in favour to effect constitutional change.
Trump 'normalising war'
Trump had touched down at Dublin airport shortly before 8:25 am under a security operation dubbed one of the largest ever mounted in Ireland and reportedly costing 20 million euros ($32.4 million). At least 4,000 police and other personnel, including snipers, have been mobilised.
On Saturday morning, he met with Irish President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin's Phoenix Park before meeting Martin at Farmleigh House, where the Iran war, US tariffs on EU pharmaceuticals, and immigration were on the agenda.
Trump said America's relationship with Ireland had "never been as good as it is right now" while Martin praised the "sporting relationship" between their two countries.
However, in her own meeting with Trump, Connolly — an outspoken critic of the US leader who last year accused her US counterpart of being "volatile" and "acting like a bully" — appeared to offer a frostier reception.
"I conveyed the strong view of the Irish people that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted," Connolly said in a post-meeting statement.
The visit has also seen significant protests on the streets of Dublin. At least 2,000 protesters waving Palestinian flags and holding placards rallied Saturday lunchtime against the president's visit, chanting "Donald Trump's not welcome here".
One small group of demonstrators set a US flag on fire, while smaller protests also occurred at Shannon Airport and in Doonbeg on Ireland's west coast.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said peaceful protest would be facilitated as much as possible, but there would be "no tolerance" for public disorder.
Police said three women had appeared in a western Irish court late Saturday after being arrested for separate trespass and public order offences in Doonbeg.
After completing engagements in Dublin, Trump made a dramatic landing in Doonbeg aboard Marine One and watched the Irish Open golf tournament at his resort.
Flanked by his sons Don Jr. and Eric, Trump was photographed watching over the 18th green during the third round, later receiving a rapturous reception in the resort's members' bar with drinkers chanting "USA".
— With additional reporting from the Agence France-Presse news agency.
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