President Trump arrived in Ireland on September 12, 2026, meeting with Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Dublin and declaring that he would love to see a unified Ireland. The visit, which mixes diplomatic talks with an appearance at the Irish Open golf tournament, also drew local protests and immediate political pushback.
President Trump kicked off a visit to Ireland on Saturday by wading into the constitutional future of the island. During a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Dublin, the U.S. president remarked that the unification of the Republic of Ireland with Northern Ireland, which remains part of the United Kingdom, may as well happen now according to reporting from CBS News. He was greeted during an arrival ceremony at Áras an Uachtaráin on September 12, 2026, where he reviewed an honour guard alongside Irish President Catherine Connolly.
I don’t want to cause any problems but I’d love to see it unified. I think it would be a fantastic thing.
He added that the U.K. will have something to say about it, obviously, according to the network. Later at an event with business leaders at the U.S. ambassador’s official residence in Dublin, Trump reaffirmed his view, telling attendees that it would be a very cool thing even though there was no good answer, NBC News reported.
Unionist Pushback and the 1998 Good Friday Agreement Framework
The remarks drew swift pushback from Northern Ireland. The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, Gavin Robinson, criticized the commentary in a post on X, emphasizing that the region’s constitutional status rests solely with its residents.
President 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.
Gavin Robinson
Under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the authority to call a border poll rests with the British government, with a duty to call a referendum if it appears likely that a majority would vote for unification. Downing Street noted that British Prime Minister Andy Burnham intends to adhere to the accord, which states a referendum should be reviewed when public opinion changes to the point at which the call has to be considered. Burnham had stated earlier in the week that a vote was off the table, arriving just two weeks prior to Trump’s trip.
Dublin Meetings, Protests, and the Trip to Doonbeg
Beyond his meeting with Martin, Trump held talks with Irish President Catherine Connolly, who was elected head of state last year. When Trump last visited Ireland as president in 2019, Connolly had protested outside Shannon Airport in western Ireland. While the bilateral economic relationship remains robust—with U.S.-owned companies employing roughly 10% of workers in Ireland after successive governments prioritized jobs and corporate tax revenue—the visit sparked visible local discontent.
A collection of left-leaning opposition parties, anti-military groups, pro-Palestinian organizations, environmentalists, and others planned to demonstrate against the president in Dublin on Saturday, with anti-war and anti-Trump protests also planned in western Ireland near Doonbeg. One protester held a Palestine flag over a fence near the Irish president’s residence. Some residents expressed frustration over the disruption accompanying the president’s itinerary.
University student Mina Petrovski echoed those concerns to CBS News, calling Mr. Trump’s attitudes towards women, immigrants, and minority communities abhorrent and stating it is shameful that the Irish government is welcoming him with open arms.
Corporate Footprint and the Irish Open at Doonbeg
Following his engagements in Dublin, the U.S. president traveled across the country to his oceanfront golf resort in Doonbeg. The Trump Organization took control in 2014 of the Doonbeg course, which is hosting the Irish Open golf tournament this weekend.
The event marks the second European Tour tournament held at a Trump property this year, following the Nexo Championship held last month at the president’s golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland. Trump is expected to help present the trophy on Sunday to the tournament champion, blending his official diplomatic itinerary with the family’s commercial sports ventures.
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