US President Donald Trump has said he would love to see a united Ireland while at a meeting with the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) during a visit in Dublin.
Trump is on a two-day visit to the country where earlier he had a courtesy call with the Irish President Catherine Connolly at the Áras an Uachtaráin – the official residence of the Irish president.
He attended meetings in Dublin, before travelling to County Clare for the Amgen Irish Open golf tournament.
Trump said a united Ireland would happen eventually and that the Taoiseach was “the right man over here to get it moving”.
Meanwhile, more than 10,000 people marched through Dublin to show their opposition to the US president.
During his meeting with Micheál Martin at Farmleigh House, in Phoenix Park, Trump said a united Ireland would be a “fantastic thing”, and added: “now the UK would have something to say about it obviously but I think it would be a great thing, I mean, how can it be bad?”
A spokesperson for Number 10 referred to Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s words on Wednesday in the House of Commons that he “will stick to it (the Good Friday Agreement) 100%”.
On Wednesday, Burnham added that “the question of a border poll” was for the Northern Ireland secretary “when there is clear consensus in the country – when public opinion has changed to the point at which the call has to be considered”.
A spokesperson for Martin said Trump’s comments should “come as a surprise to no one” and the US president has been “consistent in his view that he sees unity in Ireland as the optimal outcome”.
The Good Friday Agreement says the secretary of state must hold a border poll if it appears likely that a majority of people in Northern Ireland would vote for Irish unification – and the circumstances of when that could happen is the subject of constant debate in Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Earlier this week, Martin said there needed to be more clarity on when a border poll can be called, while Burnham ruled out calling a referendum, describing a poll as “off the table”.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she acknowledged Trumps comments on a united Ireland and said the onus is on the Taoiseach to begin planning.
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson said Trump “knows better than most that elections matter”.
“Northern Ireland’s constitutional future will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland, not by commentary in London, Dublin or Washington,” he said.
Former DUP MP Ian Paisley and close friend of the Trump family said: “everyone is allowed a personal opinion even when it’s wrong”.
Welcoming his comments, the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Claire Hanna said there was something “fairly extraordinary” about Trump standing in Dublin and talking openly about Irish unity.
“When even Donald Trump has clocked that Irish unity is no longer some distant or theoretical prospect, it tells you something about just how far this conversation has shifted.”
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Jon Burrows said while America is an “important ally,” Northern Ireland’s future will be decided by its people”.
The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister said Trump “is not the first US President to meddle in the affairs which don’t concern him”.
Ireland’s Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said: “Something to this magnitude can only happen where there’s consent from the Irish people.
“It’s something that that we have to work on and we have to work towards.”
Later, while attending an event at the US Ambassador to Ireland’s residence, Trump said there is “no good answer” to a question about a united Ireland.
Recalling the moment, he said: “Oh that’s a nice question, I have a nice answer, I think, we’ll read about it tomorrow.”
Trump also said his country’s relationship with Ireland is “stronger than ever”.
During his meeting with the Taoiseach, Trump said: “We’ve a big relationship with Ireland.”
“The two countries do very well together,” he said, adding: “It’s never been as good as it is right now.”
He said they discussed various topics, including trade.
President Connolly, an outspoken Gaza activist who has been critical of the US, said that she told the US president that “the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted”.
The two heads of state met earlier on Saturday morning.
Connolly faced pressure from left wing parties who backed her at the presidential elections in 2025 to raise Gaza with Trump.
“As a country which has suffered famine, colonisation and the violence of the Troubles, but also the importance of the long and challenging road to peace, I emphasised the unique insight which Irish people can bring to the resolution of conflict,” she said in a statement issued after the meeting.
