Donald Trump comments on Irish reunification during visit

US President Donald Trump commented that Irish reunification “would be a fantastic thing” during a short visit to Ireland on Saturday.

He made the controversial comment during a bilateral meeting with Ireland’s taoiseach, Micheál Martin, and projected that a reunification is “going to happen eventually.”

When a reporter asked his view on the topic, Trump at first acknowledged his comments could inflame a politically sensitive issue before voicing support.

“Well, I don’t want to cause any trouble,” Trump said Saturday. “But I will tell you, I’d love to see it unified.”

The reunification of Ireland has long been considered a contentious issue, dividing opinion among the unionists, typically from Protestant backgrounds, who would like Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom and nationalists, typically from Catholic backgrounds, who would like to see it reunited with the Republic of Ireland.

For nearly 30 years, Northern Ireland was plagued by significant sectarian violence and disorder, in a period known as the Troubles.

Under the US-brokered 1998 Good Friday agreement, which largely ended the conflict, a majority of voters in border polls held both in the north and south would need to be in favor of reunification for this to take place.

Wary of such sensitivities, US presidents have typically avoided explicitly commenting on the issue, even President Joe Biden, who frequently referenced his Irish heritage.

Trump’s comments were almost immediately met with pushback from the UK government and unionists.

Downing Street pointed CNN to newly installed Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s comments in August when he downplayed the prospect of an imminent border poll in Northern Ireland.

That is “off the table,” Burnham had said, later confirming he would “100 per cent” follow the Good Friday Agreement.

Gavin Robinson, who leads the Democratic Unionist Party, said that Northern Ireland’s future “will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland, not by commentary in London, Dublin or Washington.”

However, Trump seemed confident the move would happen eventually and questioned how it could be a negative thing.

“It’s going to happen eventually. … I think it will happen now. You’ve got the right man over here to get it moving,” Trump said, pointing at Martin.