AT the start of his two-day visit to Ireland US President Down Trump said he would love to see a united Ireland.
WHAT DID TRUMP SAY?
“Well, I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you I’d love to see it (Ireland) 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 (the Taoiseach) 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?”
REACTION TO TRUMP'S VISIT AND COMMENTS ON UNITED IRELAND
President Catherine Connolly said: “As President of Ireland, I am very conscious that Ireland and the United States of America are bound by strong ties. This is a deep connection, built over centuries, which allows us to speak openly to one another.
"We are in a world facing the existential threat posed by war and climate change, both of which are inextricably interlinked.
"I conveyed the strong view of the Irish people that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted.
'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.
"I highlighted to President Trump the strong commitment which the Irish people have to international relations, to the importance of the United Nations, including the pride which Irish people feel in Ireland’s contribution to UN Peacekeeping since 1958, and to the obligations contained within Article 29 of our Constitution towards the peaceful resolution of international disputes.
"I assured President Trump that the Irish people would strongly support all those who have the strength to build a shared peace in all those parts of the world currently suffering from such horrific war and violence.”
President Connolly alongside President Donald Trump as he signs the visitors book in Áras an Uachtaráin during a courtesy call at the start of his visit to Ireland. Pic Tony Maxwell - 12-9-26 via Rollingnews.ie
Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald T.D said: “At this time of very significant global challenge, Ireland seeks to promote our values of peace, neutrality, disarmament, upholding international rule of law, and strengthening the pursuit of justice and the protection of human rights.
“The Irish peace process and the role of the United States in this are an example of successful diplomacy and foreign policy where the US has been a critical partner over three decades.
“We want to see President Trump apply the same approach to Palestine and promote a global agenda for peace.
“This means that the United States must stop arming Israel. The United States must stop facilitating the genocide of Palestinian people Israel must no longer be allowed to act with impunity.
“We are absolutely prepared to offer our continued support and solidarity, and to lend all our experience to this end."
“I acknowledge President Trump’s comments on the reunification of Ireland. The conversation on Irish unity has shifted, and the onus is on the Taoiseach to begin planning. We have secured peace, and as we approach the thirtieth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement our national journey is now reunification, which is organised, planned and a peaceful transition.”
SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP said: "There won't be many times when Donald Trump and I arrive at the same political conclusion, and I deplore much of what he stands for. But that is precisely why this intervention is worth noticing. 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.
"Building a New Ireland is no longer something that can be dismissed as a remote aspiration or indefinitely parked for another generation. More and more people are asking what change could look like and are prepared to listen to the answers. The question now is how we prepare for it and, crucially, how we make it work for everybody who shares this island.
"Donald Trump doesn’t get a vote, of course, and neither does any other outside figure. This decision belongs to the people of Ireland, north and south, through the democratic framework secured in the Good Friday Agreement. That means persuading people, answering legitimate questions and listening to those who are curious or sceptical, not just talking among those of us who already believe in constitutional change.
"There is something fairly extraordinary about this particular US President standing in Dublin and talking openly about Irish unity. Nobody should mistake that for an endorsement of his politics, but nor should they miss what it says about ours.
"A New Ireland isn’t just on the table, it’s on the move. Politics now needs to catch up, not by plucking dates from the air or waving the flag harder, but by doing the work and ensuring Dublin and London are seriously preparing for the future that lies ahead for this place."
