Trump Ireland visit latest: US president says he’d ‘love to see’ a united Ireland while in Dublin
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Trump Ireland visit latest: US president says he’d ‘love to see’ a united Ireland while in Dublin
‘Now the UK will have something to say about it … but I think it would be a great thing’
Rich Booth & Rebecca Whittaker Saturday 12 September 2026 12:49 BST
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US President Donald Trump has said he would “love” to see a united Ireland and that he thinks it will happen eventually.
Talking to the press during a weekend visit to Dublin and his Irish golf course, the president called the idea a “fantastic thing”.
He added: “Well, I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I’d love to see it unified,” He said after a meeting with Irish prime minister Micheal Martin in Dublin.
“The way I look at it, it’s going to happen eventually … I think it would be a fantastic thing. Now the UK will have something to say about it … but I think it would be a great thing.”
Trump made the statement after he held talks on Saturday with his Irish counterpart Catherine Connolly.
It comes during a weekend visit that’s more about a major golf tournament hosted on a course he owns on the country’s Atlantic coast. He will address the US and Irish business leaders at the US ambassador’s official residence in Dublin before traveling to his oceanfront golf club in Doonbeg, on the other side of the country, to watch the Irish Open.
Key points
- Trump would ‘love’ to see a unified Ireland
- Irish unification would be ‘a very cool thing’, Trump said
- Democratic Unionist Party leader reacts to Trumps comments on Ireland
- Donald Trump confirms he will attend 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland despite protests
Watch: Trump lands in Ireland ahead of political meetings and golf
Rebecca Whittaker 12 September 2026 12:49
President Catherine Connolly welcomes Trump
Irish President Catherine Connolly is a left-wing politician who was among those who protested when Trump visited Ireland in 2019 during his first term in office.
A supporter of the Palestinian cause, she in the past has criticised US policy in the Middle East and called Trump a “bully.”
The Irish president met Trump at the end of a red carpet at her official residence.
They shook hands and chatted before going inside.
He emerged alone a few minutes later and saluted as an Irish Defence Forces band played the US national anthem and inspected an Irish Army honor guard.
Connolly then joined Trump outdoors to introduce the US and Irish delegations before the leaders went back inside for their closed-door talks.
Rebecca Whittaker 12 September 2026 12:45
Trump says Ireland is ‘sixth largest source of foreign direct investment’ in US
Donald Trump said that Ireland is “now the sixth largest source of foreign direct investment in the United States”.
Addressing guests at the residence of the US ambassador, he said: “I’m pleased to say that Ireland is now the sixth largest source of foreign direct investment in the United States, with nearly 392 billion dollars invested in 2025.
“And because the market is the best market we’ve ever had, we hit 80 all-time highs during this period of about 15 months, up to 15 months, it hit 80, so your investment is up probably 60 per cent or 70 per cent.”
Rebecca Whittaker 12 September 2026 12:42
Donald Trump confirms he will attend 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland despite protests
Donald Trump has confirmed he plans to return to Ireland next year to attend the 2027 Ryder Cup in Limerick.
The US president was meeting Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Farmleigh House in Dublin to kick off a two-day visit to the Emerald Isle, during which he also made the explosive assertion that he would “love” to see a united Ireland.
Asked if he would come back to Ireland for the next edition of the Ryder Cup, Trump replied: “I will, absolutely. It’s a big tournament.”
Read more here:
Donald Trump confirms he will attend 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland despite protests
The Ryder Cup returns to Ireland next year for the first time since 2006 as Limerick’s Adare Manor plays host Rebecca Whittaker 12 September 2026 12:38
Democratic Unionist Party leader reacts to Trumps comments on Ireland
Gavin Robinson, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, has said “President Trump knows better than most that elections matter”, following his claims that a unified Ireland would be “cool”.
He wrote: “Northern Ireland’s constitutional future will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland, not by commentary in London, Dublin or Washington.
“Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom because that is the settled democratic will of its people.
“I am confident NI will continue to choose the UK and the security it offers. As unionists we are not interested in the destruction of our country by joining with the Irish Republic.”
Rebecca Whittaker 12 September 2026 12:35
Irish unification would be ‘a very cool thing’, Trump said
Unification of Ireland would be a “very cool thing”, Donald Trump said.
The US President made the comments while discussing a question about Irish unification at a press conference at Farmleigh House in Dublin.
Discussing the question, the US president added: “But they’re going for the kill at all times, and they ask me a question: ‘What do you think about unification of Northern Ireland and Ireland?’
“I said: ‘Oh, that’s a nice question’. I gave a nice answer, 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?
“There are about four or five, I could tell you some other ones, but I’m not going to get you started.
“But that was one of the questions. 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, they say: ‘Let’s get the hell out of here. I don’t like this guy. I liked him a lot 10 minutes ago. I don’t like him’.”
Rebecca Whittaker 12 September 2026 12:29
Trump would ‘love’ to see a unified Ireland
Donald Trump has said he would “love” to see a united Ireland and that “it may as well happen now” as it is “going to happen eventually”.
Speaking while sitting alongside Taoiseach Micheál Martin, the US President said: “Well, I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you I’d love to see it unified.
“I have friends on both sides, great people. They’re Irish people. How can they be bad, right?
“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.
“You know what? The way I look at it, it’s going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now.
“We’re talking about it and you got the right man over here to get it moving.
“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?”
Rebecca Whittaker 12 September 2026 12:25
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