Dublin: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would “love” to see Northern Ireland unite with the Republic of Ireland, departing from the traditionally neutral position adopted by previous US presidents on the politically sensitive issue.
Trump made the remarks during a visit to Dublin, where he met Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin.
“Well, I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I’d love to see it unified,” Trump told reporters while sitting alongside Martin. “It’s going to happen eventually … I think it would be a fantastic thing.”
“Now the UK will have something to say about it … but I think it would be a great thing,” he added.
Trump later acknowledged there was “no good answer” to the question of Irish unity but repeated that he believed unification would be “a very cool thing.”
His comments came weeks after Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham said a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the United Kingdom was “off the table.” Downing Street said on Saturday that the British government’s position remained unchanged.
Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which largely ended three decades of conflict in Northern Ireland, the British government has the authority to call a referendum on the region’s constitutional status.
The conflict involved Irish nationalists seeking a united Ireland and unionists determined to keep Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom. Opinion polls continue to indicate a majority in Northern Ireland favour remaining in the UK, although the gap has narrowed somewhat since Brexit brought the question of Irish unity greater political attention.
Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson strongly rejected Trump’s prediction, warning that unification would result in “the destruction of our country.”
“Northern Ireland’s constitutional future will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland, not by commentary in London, Dublin or Washington,” Robinson wrote on X.
Reaction among supporters of Irish unity in Belfast was more guarded. Eamon Hanna, a supporter of the nationalist SDLP, questioned the significance of Trump’s remarks.
“I think it’s just headline grabbing … I don’t think he gives a toss whether there is a United Ireland or not,” Hanna said.
Trump’s intervention contrasts with the approach of previous US presidents, including Joe Biden, who maintained neutrality on the question of Irish unification. The United States played an important role in helping broker the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.