Dublin: US President Donald Trump arrived in Dublin on Saturday for a two-day visit to Ireland, holding talks with President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin before heading to his golf resort in Doonbeg, where he is due to attend the Irish Open.
Trump’s visit combines official engagements with the golf tournament at Trump International Doonbeg. He is also scheduled to meet US and Irish business leaders during the trip, with Ireland-US economic, cultural and people-to-people ties among the key areas of engagement.
Trump first met Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin, where he received a ceremonial welcome before the two held closed-door talks. He later travelled to Farmleigh House to meet Martin, who said the visit would provide an opportunity to discuss issues of mutual interest and reaffirm the strong ties between the two countries.
During his interaction with reporters after meeting Martin, Trump made a significant intervention on the question of Irish unity, saying he would “love to see” Ireland and Northern Ireland unified and predicting that it would happen eventually.
“I’d love to see it unified,” Trump said, adding that it “may as well happen now” and describing a united Ireland as “a fantastic thing”. He acknowledged that the UK would have a say in the matter.
Trump also addressed the ongoing Middle East crisis, saying he expected the war with Iran to end “very soon” and suggesting it could conclude after the US midterm elections in November. He predicted that oil prices would fall sharply once the conflict ends.
On the recent attack that disrupted a major Saudi oil pipeline, Trump said Iran was “probably” responsible and described Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a “good friend”. He also claimed that the US controls the Strait of Hormuz and said the Houthi group did not want Washington to intervene against it.
Trump said the Gaza conflict was effectively nearing an end, claiming that his administration had “put out the fires”. He also said Iran had been about two weeks away from obtaining a nuclear weapon when the US and Israel began their war in February.
Asked about the Falkland Islands dispute between the UK and Argentina, Trump suggested he could be called upon to help resolve the issue, while questioning whether Britain would be willing to travel such a long distance to defend the islands.
Trump is expected to travel to Doonbeg later in the day, where the Irish Open is being held at his golf resort. He is scheduled to spend Sunday at the tournament before returning to the US.
