Trump says he would ‘love’ to see unified Ireland and ‘it may as well happen now’ as he visits Dublin – live
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2h agoTrump: I'd love to see a unified Ireland
Trump has weighed in on the question of Irish unity, saying he would “love to see it unified” and predicting that a united Ireland is “going to happen eventually”.
He suggested it “may as well happen now” and appeared to cast Micheál Martin as the person to help make it happen.
He said:
double quotation markWell, 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?”
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Northern Ireland’s leading unionist parties, the DUP and UUP, have hit back at Trump’s call for a unified ireland
DUP leader Gavin Robinson posted on X:
double quotation markPresident 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.
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.
TUV leader Jim Allister said Trump “is not the first US president to meddle in the affairs which don’t concern him”.
He added:
double quotation markNorthern Ireland is not a pawn in Trump’s fall-out with the UK. Our constitutional future does not depend on him or any other foreign dignitary.
Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA said the US president “like anyone else in the world, is entitled to express his view on the constitutional future of another country”, before adding:
double quotation markBut the only people whose decision counts are the people of Northern Ireland.
That is the principle of consent, now enshrined in law through the Belfast Agreement, negotiated and delivered by the Ulster Unionist Party.
America has been, and remains, an important ally, from the Second World War and the global fight against terrorism to the defence of democracy around the world. Their businesses increasingly see that our workforce here is the best in the world.
But when all is said and done, Northern Ireland’s future will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland.
I am confident that we are safer, more secure and more prosperous within the United Kingdom, and that is where we will remain.
Trump has finish his speech at Deerfield, ending on a warm note as he praised Ireland and its people.
“This country is fantastic, it’s just a fantastic place, I love it,” he said.
“I have investments here but that’s not why I love it. I like it because of it’s special people, you have unbelievable people in Ireland.”
Speaking of the Irish people, there have been protests in Dublin against Trump’s visit.
When he was asked earlier about the demonstrations, the US president said: “I didn’t know there was a protest. It can’t be a very big one because we’ve been all over Ireland today already, it’s early in the morning… but I haven’t seen any protest, It’s a friendly protest.”
Back to Trump’s speech, where he has offered his assessment of the Irish people, praising them for their warmth and friendliness before warning they can be “vicious bastards”.
double quotation markYou know they say you can’t generalise about groups of people, countries, but you can. People love coming to Ireland. You know why? Because they love you. They love the people. There’s a friendliness.
There’s also a viciousness and a toughness. Let me tell you, you are some of the most vicious bastards... but when you want to be nice, there is nobody nicer.”
Burnham's position on Irish unification remains unchanged, says PM spokesperson
Prime minister Andy Burnham’s position on Irish unification remains unchanged, a spokesperson said.
It came after Donald Trump told reporters after a meeting with Micheál Martin in Dublin that unification would “happen eventually”.
During prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Burnham said he would stick to the Good Friday agreement “100%”.
“I am not aware that there is majority public support for another referendum, and until that changes, there will not be one,” he said.
PA reports that among the gifts Donald Trump received from Irish president Catherine Connolly was a St Brigid’s Cross, traditionally associated with peace, along with a collection of poetry that included Michael Longley’s sonnet Ceasefire.
The symbolism of the gifts is rather hard to miss. As our Ireland correspondent, Rory Carroll, writes in his report ahead of Trump’s visit to Dublin, Connolly was a vocal critic of Trump before becoming president:
double quotation markBefore winning the Irish presidency – a ceremonial post – last year, Connolly was an independent leftwing member of parliament for Galway who protested against Trump’s 2019 visit and more recently assailed him over his positions and policies on Gaza, Iran and other issues. “If we are going to act as an independent sovereign state, a neutral republic, we must use our voice to speak to power and the abuse of power by president Trump,” she said.
Asked in March about the criticism, Trump replied: “He’s lucky I exist.”
Trump says Ireland unity 'would be cool'
Trump has joked about his earlier remarks about Ireland unity (see post at 11:11).
During his speech at Deerfield, he said there was “no good answer” to the unification question, adding: “No matter what you say, no matter how well you say it.”
He then reiterated his view that unification “would be cool”.
Trump is now at Deerfield, the US ambassador’s official residence, where he is expected to deliver a speech to guests.
Martin spokesperson says Trump’s unity comments won’t change policy
The Irish Times reports that a spokesperson for Micheál Martin was asked if Donald’s Trump’s comments about a unified Ireland would have any impact on government policy.
They said: “No, our Good Friday agreement and programme for government commitments remain.”
Trump repeated that the Middle East crisis is “gonna work out fine and dandy”.
Trump says he could settle Falklands row
Trump has also been asked about the Falkland Islands. In his meandering response, he questioned whether Britain would be willing to travel such a distance to defend the islands and said he could be called upon to help resolve the row between the UK and Argentina.
His comments came as the Argentinian president Javier Milei claimed the “winds of change” are blowing in Argentina’s favour, pointing to suggestions that Trump may be reconsidering the US position on sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. The remarks drew the ire of UK ministers, who swiftly pushed back any suggestion that Britain’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands was up for discussion.
Trump said:
double quotation markWell, the Falkland Islands is very interesting because here we go again.
I remember as a young boy, a pretty young boy anyway, but the Falkland Islands, and I think it was a different country at that time, the UK a little bit, but they went in and they took it over.
I’m not sure they’re doing that. They have a little problem with immigration.
They have a little problem with energy and then have some other problems they have to take care of.
So, I don’t know. You know, I don’t know if they’re going to be willing to travel that far.
That is very far away. You’re talking about weeks by boat. I don’t know.
I’m sure I’ll be called into that potential disaster, but if they do, I’ll probably be able to settle, settle it out.
But right now, you have two countries that are not happy concerning the Falklands.”
Houthis asked US not to intervene, Trump says
Trump claimed the Houthi group had asked the US not to intervene after it seized an island in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a vital maritime route that carries around 12% of global trade.
“The Houthis called us and they don’t want to fight with us,” Trump told reporters.
“They don’t want us to go after them.”
Trump said the conflict in Gaza was all but over after he “put out the fires”, and that Iran was two weeks away from obtaining a nuclear weapon when the US and Israel began the war in February.
“If they had it they would have blown up Israel, they would have blown up the Middle East,” he said, adding that Europe would have been a target too.
Trump: I'd love to see a unified Ireland
Trump has weighed in on the question of Irish unity, saying he would “love to see it unified” and predicting that a united Ireland is “going to happen eventually”.
He suggested it “may as well happen now” and appeared to cast Micheál Martin as the person to help make it happen.
He said:
double quotation markWell, 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?”
Trump and Martin are now speaking to reporters at the Farmleigh estate.
Commenting on the Saudi pipeline attack, Trump said he believed Iran may have been responsible for the drone strike. “I think they are, probably they are.”
Saudi authorities said drones launched from Iraq had forced the temporary closure of a key oil export route, which has become increasingly important as an alternative to the strait of Hormuz.
The East-West pipeline runs from Abqaiq, near the Gulf, to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Riyadh has stepped up its use of the pipeline since the start of the Middle East war as the route allows Saudi oil to reach global markets without passing through the Hormuz strait, which has been effectively closed by Iran.
Trump: Iran war will end after US midterm elections
Trump said he believed the war with Iran will end after US midterm elections in November and that oil prices will tumble once it does, Reuters reports.
“I think very soon. I think it’ll be probably right after the mid-terms. They’re trying to hold out as long as they can to complicate the election. But I think people are wise to it,” he told reporters in Dublin.
“When that happens, oil prices will come tumbling down.”