Closing summary
That’s all from us on the US politics blog, thanks for following along. Here is a recap of the day’s developments:
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While in Ireland for a two-day visit that combined political meetings with a stop at his Doonbeg golf resort, Donald Trump said he backed Irish reunification. He said he would “love to see” a united Ireland and that it “may as well happen now”. He added that unification would happen eventually and suggested it would be “fantastic”.
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His comments prompted a backlash from unionists and UK politicians. Andy Burnham’s position on Irish unification remains unchanged, a spokesperson for the prime minister said. Earlier this week, Burnham said he would stick to the Good Friday agreement “100%” and that there would be no referendum without majority public support.
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Similarly, Micheál Martin’s government said Trump’s comments would not change its position, with a spokesperson saying it was committed to the Good Friday agreement and programme for government.
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Irish president Catherine Connolly used her meeting with Trump to stress Ireland’s opposition to war and genocide, saying the normalisation of either “can never be accepted”.
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Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald called on Trump to apply the lessons of the Northern Ireland peace process to Palestine, urging the US to end arms sales to Israel and “stop facilitating the genocide of Palestinian people”.
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The US president also weighed in on the Falkland Islands row, questioning whether Britain would be willing to defend the islands and saying he could potentially help settle the dispute between the UK and Argentina.
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Trump said the war with Iran would end “very soon”, possibly after the US midterm elections in November, adding that he expected oil prices to “come tumbling down” afterwards.
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When asked about the crisis engulfing the strait of Hormuz, he said: “Everything will work out fine.”
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Trump ended his Dublin engagements before heading to Doonbeg, where he arrived at his golf resort for an afternoon of golf and an overnight stay, with the Irish Open taking place on the course.
Our Ireland correspondent Rory Carroll has the full report here:
Trump has landed in Doonbeg, where he will stay overnight and present the Irish Open trophy before returning to Washington tomorrow.
On Trump’s comments on Irish unification, McDonald said they should prompt the Irish government to start preparing for a united Ireland.
Sinn Féin has long campaigned for Irish unification and supports holding a referendum on the issue when the conditions set out in the Good Friday Agreement are met. Under the 1998 peace deal, the Northern Ireland secretary of state should call a referendum if it appears likely that a majority would vote in favour.
“President Trump’s comments on Irish reunification are timely. The taoiseach must now begin planning for a united Ireland,” McDonald said.
'US must stop facilitating genocide of Palestinian people,' says Sinn Féin leader
In a message to Donald Trump, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has called on the US to end arms supplies to Israel and “stop facilitating the genocide of Palestinian people”.
Her party has been a strong advocate for Palestinian rights and has urged for Israel to face greater accountability over its actions in Gaza.
“The US plays a critical role in supporting peace in Ireland. That same commitment to diplomacy and peace must be applied to Palestine,” McDonald said in a post on X.
Trump arrives at Shannon airport for Irish Open
Donald Trump and his entourage have arrived at Shannon Airport. The US president disembarked Air Force One, shook hands with Irish ministers and waved to the cameras before hopping aboard Marine One, the presidential helicopter, for the journey to Doonbeg.
Garda officers await the arrival of US president Donald Trump at his golf resort in Doonbeg on day three of the Irish Open.
Trump has departed Dublin and is due to arrive in Shannon shortly, before travelling to Doonbeg to spend the afternoon at his golf resort.
Badenoch hits back at Trump over unity comments
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has waded into the row over Trump’s Ireland unity comments, accusing the US president of “shooting from the hip” and describing his remarks as “deeply unhelpful”.
In a post on X, she said:
President Trump is shooting from the hip as usual, just like he did with Greenland and Canada becoming the 51st state. This sort of loose talk about the future of democratic countries is deeply unhelpful and creates unnecessary tension.
Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. At a time when separatists are in power in Scotland, Wales and NI, we need a Government that will defend the Union clearly and confidently.
The Conservative and Unionist Party as is our true name will always defend the union. I would like to see the same clarity from Andy Burnham, rather than entertaining the idea of more independence referenda as he did on Wednesday at PMQs.
'War and genocide can never be accepted,' says Connolly
Irish president Catherine Connolly has issued a statement about her meeting with Donald Trump, saying “war and genocide can never be accepted”.
As President of Ireland, I am very conscious that Ireland and the United States of America are bound by strong ties. This is a deep connection, built over centuries, which allows us to speak openly to one another.
We are in a world facing the existential threat posed by war and climate change, both of which are inextricably interlinked.
I conveyed the strong view of the Irish people that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted.
As a country which has suffered famine, colonisation and the violence of the Troubles, but also the importance of the long and challenging road to peace, I emphasised the unique insight which Irish people can bring to the resolution of conflict.”
A large crowd is gathering in the centre of Dublin to voice their opposition to Trump’s visit to Ireland.
The march is beginning at the city’s garden of remembrance.
Participants are carrying banners and flags, and chanting: “Donald Trump, can you hear? We don’t want you here.”
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Northern Ireland’s leading unionist parties, the DUP and UUP, have hit back at Trump’s call for a unified Ireland.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson posted on X:
President Trump knows better than most that elections matter.
Northern Ireland’s constitutional future will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland, not by commentary in London, Dublin or Washington.
Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom because that is the settled democratic will of its people.
I am confident NI will continue to choose the UK and the security it offers. As unionists we are not interested in the destruction of our country by joining with the Irish Republic.
TUV leader Jim Allister said Trump “is not the first US president to meddle in the affairs which don’t concern him”.
He added:
Northern Ireland is not a pawn in Trump’s fall-out with the UK. Our constitutional future does not depend on him or any other foreign dignitary.
Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA said the US president “like anyone else in the world, is entitled to express his view on the constitutional future of another country”, before adding:
But the only people whose decision counts are the people of Northern Ireland.
That is the principle of consent, now enshrined in law through the Belfast Agreement, negotiated and delivered by the Ulster Unionist Party.
America has been, and remains, an important ally, from the Second World War and the global fight against terrorism to the defence of democracy around the world. Their businesses increasingly see that our workforce here is the best in the world.
But when all is said and done, Northern Ireland’s future will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland.
I am confident that we are safer, more secure and more prosperous within the United Kingdom, and that is where we will remain.
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Trump has finish his speech at Deerfield, ending on a warm note as he praised Ireland and its people.
“This country is fantastic, it’s just a fantastic place, I love it,” he said.
“I have investments here but that’s not why I love it. I like it because of it’s special people, you have unbelievable people in Ireland.”
Speaking of the Irish people, there have been protests in Dublin against Trump’s visit.
When he was asked earlier about the demonstrations, the US president said: “I didn’t know there was a protest. It can’t be a very big one because we’ve been all over Ireland today already, it’s early in the morning… but I haven’t seen any protest, It’s a friendly protest.”
Back to Trump’s speech, where he has offered his assessment of the Irish people, praising them for their warmth and friendliness before warning they can be “vicious bastards”.
You know they say you can’t generalise about groups of people, countries, but you can. People love coming to Ireland. You know why? Because they love you. They love the people. There’s a friendliness.
There’s also a viciousness and a toughness. Let me tell you, you are some of the most vicious bastards... but when you want to be nice, there is nobody nicer.”
Burnham's position on Irish unification remains unchanged, says PM spokesperson
Prime minister Andy Burnham’s position on Irish unification remains unchanged, a spokesperson said.
It came after Donald Trump told reporters after a meeting with Micheál Martin in Dublin that unification would “happen eventually”.
During prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Burnham said he would stick to the Good Friday agreement “100%”.
“I am not aware that there is majority public support for another referendum, and until that changes, there will not be one,” he said.
PA reports that among the gifts Donald Trump received from Irish president Catherine Connolly was a St Brigid’s Cross, traditionally associated with peace, along with a collection of poetry that included Michael Longley’s sonnet Ceasefire.
The symbolism of the gifts is rather hard to miss. As our Ireland correspondent, Rory Carroll, writes in his report ahead of Trump’s visit to Dublin, Connolly was a vocal critic of Trump before becoming president:
Before winning the Irish presidency – a ceremonial post – last year, Connolly was an independent leftwing member of parliament for Galway who protested against Trump’s 2019 visit and more recently assailed him over his positions and policies on Gaza, Iran and other issues. “If we are going to act as an independent sovereign state, a neutral republic, we must use our voice to speak to power and the abuse of power by president Trump,” she said.
Asked in March about the criticism, Trump replied: “He’s lucky I exist.”
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Trump says Ireland unity 'would be cool'
Trump has joked about his earlier remarks about Ireland unity (see post at 11:11).
During his speech at Deerfield, he said there was “no good answer” to the unification question, adding: “No matter what you say, no matter how well you say it.”
He then reiterated his view that unification “would be cool”.
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Trump is now at Deerfield, the US ambassador’s official residence, where he is expected to deliver a speech to guests.
Martin spokesperson says Trump’s unity comments won’t change policy
The Irish Times reports that a spokesperson for Micheál Martin was asked if Donald’s Trump’s comments about a unified Ireland would have any impact on government policy.
They said: “No, our Good Friday agreement and programme for government commitments remain.”
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Trump repeated that the Middle East crisis is “gonna work out fine and dandy”.
Trump says he could settle Falklands row
Trump has also been asked about the Falkland Islands. In his meandering response, he questioned whether Britain would be willing to travel such a distance to defend the islands and said he could be called upon to help resolve the row between the UK and Argentina.
His comments came as the Argentinian president Javier Milei claimed the “winds of change” are blowing in Argentina’s favour, pointing to suggestions that Trump may be reconsidering the US position on sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. The remarks drew the ire of UK ministers, who swiftly pushed back any suggestion that Britain’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands was up for discussion.
Trump said:
Well, the Falkland Islands is very interesting because here we go again.
I remember as a young boy, a pretty young boy anyway, but the Falkland Islands, and I think it was a different country at that time, the UK a little bit, but they went in and they took it over.
I’m not sure they’re doing that. They have a little problem with immigration.
They have a little problem with energy and then have some other problems they have to take care of.
So, I don’t know. You know, I don’t know if they’re going to be willing to travel that far.
That is very far away. You’re talking about weeks by boat. I don’t know.
I’m sure I’ll be called into that potential disaster, but if they do, I’ll probably be able to settle, settle it out.
But right now, you have two countries that are not happy concerning the Falklands.”
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Houthis asked US not to intervene, Trump says
Trump claimed the Houthi group had asked the US not to intervene after it seized an island in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a vital maritime route that carries around 12% of global trade.
“The Houthis called us and they don’t want to fight with us,” Trump told reporters.
“They don’t want us to go after them.”
Trump said the conflict in Gaza was all but over after he “put out the fires”, and that Iran was two weeks away from obtaining a nuclear weapon when the US and Israel began the war in February.
“If they had it they would have blown up Israel, they would have blown up the Middle East,” he said, adding that Europe would have been a target too.
Trump: I'd love to see a unified Ireland
Trump has weighed in on the question of Irish unity, saying he would “love to see it unified” and predicting that a united Ireland is “going to happen eventually”.
He suggested it “may as well happen now” and appeared to cast Micheál Martin as the person to help make it happen.
He said:
Well, I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you I’d love to see it unified.
I have friends on both sides, great people. They’re Irish people. How can they be bad, right?
I’d love to see it unified. I think it would be a great feather in everybody’s cap if that happened. It’s going to happen eventually.
You know what? The way I look at it, it’s going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now.
We’re talking about it and you got the right man over here to get it moving.
But, yeah, I think it would be a fantastic thing.
Now the UK will have something to say about it, obviously. But I think it would be a great thing. I mean, how can it be bad?”
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Trump and Martin are now speaking to reporters at the Farmleigh estate.
Commenting on the Saudi pipeline attack, Trump said he believed Iran may have been responsible for the drone strike. “I think they are, probably they are.”
Saudi authorities said drones launched from Iraq had forced the temporary closure of a key oil export route, which has become increasingly important as an alternative to the strait of Hormuz.
The East-West pipeline runs from Abqaiq, near the Gulf, to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Riyadh has stepped up its use of the pipeline since the start of the Middle East war as the route allows Saudi oil to reach global markets without passing through the Hormuz strait, which has been effectively closed by Iran.
Trump: Iran war will end after US midterm elections
Trump said he believed the war with Iran will end after US midterm elections in November and that oil prices will tumble once it does, Reuters reports.
“I think very soon. I think it’ll be probably right after the mid-terms. They’re trying to hold out as long as they can to complicate the election. But I think people are wise to it,” he told reporters in Dublin.
“When that happens, oil prices will come tumbling down.”
Iran war will end very soon, says Trump
Reuters has issued a series of alerts on Trump’s latest comments (he is currently meeting with Micheál Martin). Here is what the news agency has reported:
On Iran: War will end very soon.
Oil prices will tumble when war ends.
On Saudi pipeline attack: Crown prince is a good friend of mine, everything will work out fine.
Iran is probably responsible for attack.
We control Hormuz strait.
Houthis don’t want to fight with us.
On Gaza: We’ve done a great job.
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Trump meets taoiseach Micheál Martin
Trump has now made his way to the Farmleigh estate, where he was greeted by taoiseach Micheál Martin.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Martin said he was looking forward to welcoming the US president to Ireland and “discussing the many issues of mutual interest and reaffirming the strong economic, cultural and people-to-people ties between Ireland and the United States”.
He added: “His visit comes during a remarkable sporting summer for Ireland and the United States, and this weekend’s Irish Open at Trump International Doonbeg will be a fitting conclusion to an outstanding season of sport, and I hope we will see an Irish winner lifting the trophy on Sunday.”
Trump on Hormuz crisis: 'Everything will work out fine'
Trump has now left Áras an Uachtaráin, stopping briefly to speak to reporters before climbing into the Beast (the heavily armoured presidential limousine).
When asked about the crisis in the strait of Hormuz, he said: “Everything will work out fine.”
The fallout from the Hormuz turmoil is spreading, with Saudi Arabia shutting down a major oil pipeline after blaming drone attacks from Iraq. The route was particularly important as it allowed Saudi oil to bypass the blocked strait. Houthi forces have also taken control of the strategically important island of Perim in the Bab al-Mandab strait, strengthening their grip on the narrow waterway, a crucial artery for global shipping. Our diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, has the full report here:
Responding to a question about the high cost of home heating oil for Irish households, Trump said: “Well, I think what happens if they open up, if you opened up in the UK, the North Sea, your prices will tumble.
“As soon as they open up the great North Sea, and they haven’t, one of the most valuable sites in the world, when that’s open your prices are going to go way down.”
He did not respond to a question about his meeting with the Irish president.
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Some photos on the newswires of Trump’s stop at Áras an Uachtaráin:
PA reports that the guest list for Trump’s appearance at Deerfield, the US ambassador’s official residence, is expected to include some familiar Irish faces, among them Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary and entertainer Michael Flatley. Trump is due to speak from a marquee on the grounds of the historic Phoenix Park residence, which has been suitably festooned with American flags.
And, in a particularly Trumpian touch, the sound checks have included some of the president’s favourite tunes, among them the Village People’s YMCA and his traditional walk-on number, Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA.
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Visit highlights 'deep interpersonal links' between US and Ireland, says Irish deputy premier
Tánaiste Simon Harris has been speaking to reporters at Dublin airport after Trump’s arrival. He said he was “pleased to be here on behalf of the Irish government to welcome the president of the United States to Ireland”.
“He’s very much looking forward to getting to Doonbeg,” he said, according to PA.
“He’s a man who obviously loves golf, and he’s very proud of his Doonbeg resort and is looking forward to getting down there.”
Harris noted that it is Trump’s grandchildren’s first visit to Ireland and said he understood there was “great personal excitement” about the trip.
“Also, some of the president’s most senior staff, including Monica Crowley, his chief of protocol at the White House, hailed with very significant Cork links as well,” he added.
“Alongside the politics, alongside some of the pageantry of a US president arriving in Ireland, there’s also a reminder of those deep interpersonal links between our two countries.”
Trump meets Irish president Catherine Connolly
Donald Trump arrived at Áras an Uachtaráin, the Irish president’s official residence, where he was received by Catherine Connolly.
Here is a report from PA on the encounter:
Ms Connolly stood at the end of the steps in the Portico to greet Mr Trump and then led the American president down the Francini corridor and into the state reception room.
Ms Connolly, a long-standing critic of the US president, invited him to sign the visitors’ book in the state reception room.
They then proceeded to the drawing room and into a hallway where Mr Trump was introduced to dignitaries.
The US president arrived in Dublin on the controversially gifted Boeing aircraft given to him by the Qatari royal family.
The $400m ‘palace in the sky’ was converted for presidential use, but questions remain over how well equipped it is to protect the president from potential threats. During a trip to Turkey in July, Trump was reportedly moved off the aircraft after a possible Iranian threat, while other senior officials and journalists remained on board.
As the Guardian’s Joseph Gedeon reports, the circumstances surrounding the incident were rather dramatic:
It later emerged that Trump had in fact been spirited away via a catering truck on to a separate, older aircraft after officials learned of a possible Iranian threat in Ankara, leaving the plane he had boarded to fly on as a decoy. Aboard the original, possibly targeted flight were the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio; the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent; several senior aides; and the traveling press pool – the latter, who were definitely not told about the threat, were asked to keep their window shades closed.
Read the full report here:
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Trump landed in Dublin just moments ago, disembarking from Air Force One and being greeted by the tánaiste (deputy prime minister), Simon Harris. Here are some pictures from the newswires:
Trump begins two-day visit to Ireland
Donald Trump has touched down in Dublin this morning for a two-day visit to Ireland, where he will hold talks with the Irish president and prime minister, and play golf.
The weekend visit coincides with the Irish Open, a major golf tournament taking place at the beachfront Doonberg golf course owned by the US president.
He will meet with president Catherine Connolly, who has previously been highly critical of Trump, not least because he mistakenly referred to her as a man. As the Guardian’s Irish correspondent, Rory Carroll, reports, the meeting has prompted headlines asking: “What could possibly go wrong?”
Many in Ireland are rooting for Connolly to let rip at Trump for his policies and rhetoric on immigrants and the Middle East. Others hope she will stifle any criticisms to avoid provoking a visitor who could upend Ireland’s economy.”
Read the full report here:
Trump is then scheduled to meet the taoiseach Micheál Martin, with whom he has a more cordial relationship, before heading to the US ambassador’s official residence at Deerfield to speak with American and Irish business leaders. Then it’s off to his golf resort at Doonbeg for the night, before another day of golf on Sunday and his return to Washington.
The visit has left some Dubliners distinctly unimpressed. “He’s causing mayhem in this city because he wants to go down to Doonbeg and play golf,” taxi driver Christopher Fox told the Associated Press. “The world’s in turmoil and this fella’s down playing golf.”
We’ll be following the action throughout the day and bringing you all the latest from the fairway, the political stage and everywhere in between.
