Donald Trump has reopened one of Ireland’s most sensitive political questions, saying he would “very much” like to see Northern Ireland united with the Republic of Ireland and adding that it would happen “sooner or later.”
Speaking alongside Taoiseach Micheál Martin during his visit to Dublin, the US president made the remarks about an issue that carries decades of political conflict and historical trauma.
Trump’s comments are particularly significant given Washington’s traditionally cautious approach to the constitutional future of Northern Ireland. The 1998 Belfast Agreement, also known as the Good Friday Agreement and partly brokered by the United States, brought an end to roughly three decades of violence between republican and unionist communities.
The agreement established that Northern Ireland would remain part of the United Kingdom unless a majority of its population decided otherwise in a referendum.
Aware of the sensitivity of the issue, Trump later described Irish reunification as “a fantastic thing,” before joking that half the room might have left after hearing his remarks.
“No matter how you say it, there is no right answer,” he said, while acknowledging that London would “have something to say” about his comments.
Gavin Robinson, leader of Northern Ireland’s main unionist party, responded by stressing that the region’s constitutional future would be determined by the people of Northern Ireland, rather than by London, Dublin or Washington.
Trump’s visit also went well beyond the Irish question. In an unusually US-focused speech delivered abroad, the president repeatedly attacked Democrats and former president Joe Biden, including comments about Biden’s health following his cancer diagnosis.
The remarks were particularly notable given Biden’s Irish heritage. In 2023, Biden visited Northern Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement before continuing to the Republic of Ireland.
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