President Trump says Irish reunification ‘would be a fantastic thing,’ during visit to Ireland

By Kit Maher, Issy Ronald, Niamh Kennedy, CNN

Dublin (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Saturday that Irish reunification “would be a fantastic thing” during a bilateral meeting with Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin, something he projected is “going to happen eventually.”

When a reporter asked his view on reunification of Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, Trump at first acknowledged his comments could inflame a politically sensitive issue before voicing support.

“Well, I don’t want to cause any trouble,” Trump said Saturday. “But I will tell you, I’d love to see it unified,” arguing it would be “a great feather in everybody’s cap.”

The reunification of Ireland has long been considered a contentious issue, dividing opinion among the Unionists who would like Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom and Republicans who would like to see it reunited with the Republic.

For nearly 30 years, Northern Ireland was plagued by significant sectarian violence and disorder, in a period known as the Troubles. Under the US-brokered 1997 ‘Good Friday’ agreement which brought peace to the province, a majority of voters in border polls held both in the north and south would need to be in favor of reunification for this to take place.

Newly installed UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham tried to downplay the prospect of an imminent border poll in Northern Ireland when he visited the province at the end of August. Burnham said a border poll was an issue, which was currently “off the table” as far as he was concerned, but later confirmed he would “100%” follow the Good Friday Agreement.

Trump also seemed confident that the move would happen eventually and questioned how it could be a negative thing.

“It’s going to happen eventually. You know what? It’s going to happen eventually. I think it will happen now. You’ve got the right man over here to get it moving,” Trump said, pointing at Martin. “But yeah, I think it would be a fantastic thing. Now the UK will have something to say about obviously, but I think it would be a great thing. I mean, how can it be bad?”

Downing Street pointed CNN to Burnham’s comments in August, when he said any referendum about the issue in Northern Ireland is currently “off the table.”

Trump touched down in Ireland Saturday morning, to hold talks with the country’s leaders before attending a tournament at one of his golf courses.

Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina, disembarked from the plane afterward and also greeted officials on the ground.

Trump briefly answered a couple questions on his way back into the Beast after the courtesy call with Irish President Catherine Connolly, including one concerning traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

“Everything will work out just fine. It’s all going to work out fine,” Trump said.

The last time Trump visited Ireland as president was during his first term in June 2019. This visit takes Trump out the US at a crucial time for him politically, just weeks before the midterms and as the Iran-backed Houthis’ rapid advance in Yemen threatens to open a second front in the war with Iran.

During his time in Ireland, Trump will largely be shielded from the public and kept away from expected protests. Instead, he will be ferried by motorcade straight to three official government residences in Phoenix Park, a huge urban park in central Dublin which officials have closed since Friday night.

There, he will hold a bilateral meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and deliver remarks to business leaders at US Ambassador to Ireland Edward Walsh’s residence, a White House official told CNN.

The president’s meetings with Irish political leaders will touch on bilateral economic cooperation, creating business opportunities for US industry, and discussing international issues of mutual interest, the official said.

Trump’s visit presents a tricky balancing act for the Irish government. On the one hand, US companies, many of whom have their European headquarters in Ireland, are hugely important for the country’s economy while, on the other, Trump remains unpopular with much of the Irish public and some protests are expected.

Alongside a demonstration planned for Saturday afternoon in central Dublin, protests are also expected to take place in Doonbeg, the village in the west of Ireland where Trump’s golf course is located and also at Shannon Airport.

Numerous protests have been held by anti-war activist groups at the airport over the years protesting the US military’s use of the facility as a refueling stop for its troops.

Back in 1984, then-President Ronald Reagan’s visit to Ireland was marked by protests. Archival footage from RTÉ News shows thousands participating in a “ring around Reagan” protest, including anti-nuclear groups. “REFUSE CRUISE” was written on makeshift missiles and video shows a banner with “$ FOR WANT NOT FOR WAR” written on it.

Asked about the planned protests against his visit in Ireland, Trump said he was unaware of them.

“I didn’t know there was a protest,” Trump said. “It can’t be a very big one, because we’ve been all over Ireland today already,” though he had just landed in Dublin a couple hours prior.

“I haven’t seen any protest. It’s a friendly protest,” he added. “But we have a great relationship with Ireland.”

CNN photojournalist William Bonnett captured a small group of about 20 to 30 protestors in Doonbeg and Shannon Saturday morning. One woman held a sign that read, “We do not like you here nor there. We do not like you ANYWHERE!” Another person held a sign with the words “CRUEL, CORRUPT, COWARDLY” splashed in red over Trump’s face and another “NO FAUX-KING WELCOME.”

After wrapping up his meetings in Dublin, Trump will head west on Sunday to his Doonbeg course where he will attend the Irish Open tournament.

His son, Eric, told Irish national broadcaster RTÉ that the golf course is the largest employer in the local area.

“Go down to Morrissey’s tavern in Doonbeg and hear from a real Irish person as to whether or not they like President Trump and the Trump family,” he said. “Go have them attest to what we’ve done for the country and what we’ve invested in the country and the love and respect that our family has always shown them.”

Connolly was among those who protested Trump’s visit in 2019 before she was elected to the ceremonial position of Ireland’s president in 2025. Hosting Martin in the Oval Office for a visit on St. Patrick’s Day in March, Trump referred to Connolly as a “he” when asked by an Irish reporter about her comments about “violations of international law” in the Middle East.

“Look, he’s lucky I exist, that’s all I can say,” Trump said. “If you’re gonna allow countries that are sick and demented – and they are demented – to have nuclear weapons–everybody in the whole world should be very thankful.”

If there was any tension between Connolly and Trump, he didn’t hint at it, speaking at the embassy later.

“I got to meet your president, Catherine Connolly, a little while ago, and she was terrific. We talked about a lot of different things. We talked about the greatness of the people,” Trump said.

Trump seemed aware that his visit was bound to generate headlines. Later Saturday, he joked about how the reporter who asked him about Irish reunification put him in a tough spot, aware that his answer made news.

“I think we’ll read about it tomorrow. That’s one of those questions where, no matter what you say, no matter how well you say it, there’s no good answer, right?” Trump said during remarks at the US Embassy.

“But I actually said it would be, I think, a very cool thing. To be honest with you, I think it would be cool, as half the room clears out,” Trump said, prompting laughter.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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