President Trump waded into an issue that has been passionately debated for more than a century during his visit to Ireland when he said this weekend that he would "love to see" the island unified. Speaking Saturday in Dublin alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin during a two-day trip built around the Irish Open golf tournament, the Washington Post reports, Trump said reunification would be "a great feather in everybody's cap" and suggested "it might as well happen now." After the comments upset people on both sides of the Irish Sea, per the Guardian, Trump reiterated the sentiment on Sunday.
The remarks mark a break from the long-standing US practice of staying neutral on whether Northern Ireland remains in the United Kingdom or joins the Republic of Ireland, a matter governed by the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham's office said there's no public demand for a referendum, per the Post, while Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee stressed that any such move must have the consent of the Irish people. The remarks put the Irish government, which focuses on cross-border initiatives instead of unification, in an awkward position. During the tournament's trophy ceremony on Sunday, Trump also announced he plans to remove a 10% tariff on Irish whiskey, per the AP.
Trump's presence has drawn protests across Ireland, including one in Dublin, where Trump held meetings, that drew thousands, per the Guardian. On the other side of the island, in the lightly populated village of Doonbeg in County Clare, RTE reports, about 30 people protested. "It is appalling that we are spending taxpayers' money ... welcoming this man to our country," one protester said. "I really appreciate the democracy we have here in Ireland," another said, "and I would hate to think that anything that's going on in America at the minute is going to creep in here." A demonstrator from Galway displayed a sign with a play on a traditional Irish expression and tourism promise: "No Failte for Fascists."
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