President Trump said Saturday that he would love to see a unified Ireland as he begins a visit to the country, where he will meet with leaders and attend a major golf tournament at one of its courses. During a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Dublin, Trump said the unification of the Republic of Ireland with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, “could also happen now.” “I don’t want to cause any problems, but I would love to see it unified. I think that would be a fantastic thing,” Trump said, adding that “the United Kingdom will have something to say about it, obviously.” President Trump reviews an honor guard during an arrival ceremony at Áras an Uachtaráin on September 12, 2026 in Dublin, Ireland. Charles McQuillan/Getty Images When Ireland became a self-governing, majority-Catholic country a century ago, a six-county region in the north with a Protestant majority remained part of the United Kingdom. Tensions between Protestant unionists, who wanted to remain British, and Catholic nationalists, who wanted to join the rest of Ireland, led to three decades of violence. A 1998 peace deal, which the United States was instrumental in bringing about, largely ended the violence but left Northern Ireland’s final status unresolved. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham insisted last month that a unity referendum was “off the table”, prompting a strong response from the pro-unity party Sinn Féin. to Mr. Trump’s comments. Trump also held talks Saturday in Dublin with his Irish counterpart, Catherine Connolly. He addressed American and Irish business leaders at the American ambassador’s official residence in Dublin before traveling to his seafront golf club in Doonbeg, on the other side of the country, to watch the Irish Open. Some residents expressed annoyance at the disruption caused by the US president’s trip. “He’s causing chaos in this town because he wants to go to Doonbeg and play golf,” said taxi driver Christopher Fox, who is emphatically not a fan of the president. “The world is in crisis and this guy is playing golf.” College student Mina Petrovsky said Trump’s “attitudes toward women, toward immigrants, and toward minority communities in general are abhorrent.” He said it is “shameful that the Irish government welcomes it with open arms.” Separately, a group of left-wing opposition parties, anti-military groups, pro-Palestinian organizations, environmentalists and others plan to demonstrate against the president in Dublin on Saturday. President Trump is greeted by Irish President Catherine Connolly during an arrival ceremony at Áras an Uachtaráin on September 12, 2026 in Dublin, Ireland. USA Charles McQuillan / Getty Images Trump is an avid golfer who frequently plays at clubs he owns in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia. His attendance at the Irish Open continues his trend of appearing at high-profile sporting events and being involved in organizing some of them in ways that benefit his family business. Its clubs in Doral, Florida, and Bedminster, New Jersey, have hosted professional golf tournaments this year. The Irish Open is the second European Tour event to be held at a Trump property this year. The Nexo Championship was held last month at the President’s Golf Course in Aberdeen, Scotland. More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press in:
