New Delhi: The United States president, Donald Trump, has thrown himself into one of Ireland’s most sensitive political questions, saying he would “love” to see Northern Ireland reunified with the Republic of Ireland and arguing that it “may as well happen now”. The unexpected intervention, made during his first major meeting in Dublin, immediately put the UK government and Northern Ireland’s unionist leaders on the defensive.
“I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I’d love to see it unified,” Trump told reporters alongside the Irish taoiseach (prime minister), Micheál Martin. “The way I look at it, it’s going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now,” he said, calling Irish unification a “great thing” and the creation of a united Ireland “fantastic”.
Trump acknowledged that the UK would have “something to say” about any such move, but questioned how unification could be a bad thing. He said it would be a “great feather in everybody’s cap”, effectively putting the US president’s backing behind a constitutional question that Washington has traditionally treated with considerable caution.
Why Trump’s comments matter
Northern Ireland remains part of the UK under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, while Irish nationalists have long campaigned for its eventual reunification with the Republic of Ireland. Any constitutional change would require the support of voters through a referendum, making Trump’s intervention particularly sensitive given the continuing divide between unionists and nationalists.
The remarks also landed at a politically awkward moment for the UK government. Just two weeks earlier, the UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, had said a referendum on Irish unification was “off the table”, arguing that the conditions for holding one had not been met.
Downing Street moved quickly to distance itself from Trump’s comments, saying the UK government’s position on Irish unity had not changed. The government reiterated that there was not currently the required level of support for a referendum under the framework established by the Good Friday Agreement.
Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party leader, Gavin Robinson, was even more direct in rejecting Trump’s intervention. He said Northern Ireland’s constitutional future would be decided by its people, “not by commentary in London, Dublin or Washington”, and argued that the region remained part of the UK because that represented its “settled democratic will”.
Trump later said he knew his comments on Irish unification would be controversial. However, he stood by his view and called a united Ireland a “very cool thing”.
Trump’s Ireland visit turns political
The unification controversy overshadowed what was otherwise a visit centred heavily on golf and US-Irish ties. Trump first met Irish president, Catherine Connolly, at Áras an Uachtaráin before holding talks with Martin, with discussions covering energy, water, Iran and broader relations between Washington and Dublin.
Connoly has earlier criticized Trump’s policies on Gaza and Iran. After their meeting, she said she had told Trump that the Irish people could not accept war and genocide, while Trump called Connolly “terrific”.
Trump also criticized Ireland for attracting US pharmaceutical companies during his meeting with Martin. “You took all our medical companies, we’ve got to get a couple of them back,” he said, according to a Reuters report.
Thousands protest Trump in Dublin
Trump’s political intervention came as thousands of people took to the streets of Dublin to protest against his visit. Demonstrators accused him of backing Israel’s war in Gaza and criticized his record on immigration, racism, misogyny and human rights.
Large crowds gathered in central Dublin and outside parliament, chanting, “Donald Trump, can you hear? We don’t want you here.” Protesters also accused Trump of facilitating genocide in Gaza, while others objected to the Irish government giving him an official welcome.
A smaller demonstration was also held near Trump’s resort in Doonbeg, County Clare, where he travelled after his Dublin meetings. Asked about the protests, Trump said he had not seen them.