ABSTRACT

During a two-day visit to Ireland on September 13-14, 2026, President Donald Trump stated multiple times that he would support Northern Ireland breaking from the United Kingdom to unify with the Republic of Ireland, describing it as one of the 'naturals of all time.' The comments, made in Dublin on Saturday and reiterated on Sunday at his golf resort in Doonbeg while watching the Irish Open, departed from decades of White House neutrality on the issue and drew sharp criticism from British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, and the Democratic Unionist Party, while Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin characterized the reaction as an 'overreaction.'

BBC News

Trump backs Irish reunification during Ireland visit, drawing rebukes from UK politicians

Sep 13, 2026, 10:00 AM

Context

Trump told reporters on Saturday during a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin that he would 'love' to see Irish reunification happen, saying it would be 'a great feather in everybody's cap' and that 'it's going to happen eventually.' He added that 'it may as well happen now,' while acknowledging that 'the UK will have something to say about it.' On Sunday, he doubled down on the remarks, telling reporters at his Doonbeg golf resort that unifying the two territories 'would seem to me that one of the naturals of all time is to put them together.' He described his comments as 'a fairly routine comment' and stated that 'many people agree.'

When asked about Scottish independence, Trump declined to comment, saying 'That one I won't talk about yet. I'll save that for another day.' Scotland voted against independence from the UK in 2014. Trump's family owns a golf resort in Scotland.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out another vote on Scottish independence as well as a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the UK. When asked about Burnham's position, Trump responded: 'Everybody says that and then things happen.'

Micheál Martin said he does not see Irish reunification happening in the near term. According to BBC News, Martin told reporters: 'I support unity, I don't see it happening now. I've been very clear about that. The chances are if one (vote) was held next week, it would find great difficulty in getting through.' Martin said the pair had discussed Northern Ireland and how the region achieved peace through the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which ended three decades of violence between Irish nationalists and unionists.

Trump announced during his visit that he would lift all tariffs on Irish whiskey. Whiskey distilled in the Republic of Ireland faces a standard 15 percent tariff on EU goods entering the US, while whiskey made in Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK had no tariff following Trump's earlier May announcement on UK goods. According to BBC News, the removal of tariffs on all Irish whiskey will affect the competitive advantage that some Northern Ireland distillers had over their competitors in the Republic.

More than 10,000 people marched through Dublin on Saturday to protest against Trump's visit, according to BBC News, although Arab News reported that organizers claimed about 25,000 attended while the Irish Times indicated the actual number was likely lower. Demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and placards criticizing Trump over Gaza, racism, misogyny, climate policy, and US military activity. A breakaway group burned a US flag near Molesworth Street and set off firecrackers. Speakers outside the Irish parliament accused the Irish government of 'sycophancy' in handling the visit. Additional protesters were present at Doonbeg on Sunday, with about 100 people demonstrating there.

All Perspectives

President Donald Trump: On Saturday during a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Trump stated: '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.' On Sunday at his golf resort, he told reporters: 'You have Northern Ireland and you have Ireland and it would seem to me that one of the naturals of all time is to put them together. That's only my opinion, and by the way many people agree.' He also stated: 'I've always loved the people of Ireland.'

Taoiseach Micheál Martin (Irish Prime Minister): Martin said the response from some unionist politicians was 'an overreaction' and that Trump's position 'shouldn't be a surprise. He takes a different sort of perspective on things.' He stated: 'I support unity, I don't see it happening now. I've been very clear about that. The chances are if one (vote) was held next week, it would find great difficulty in getting through.' Martin told BBC News that 'He would make the point this is his view. He believes unity is the logical way for the island to be configured and organised.' He characterized the president's remarks as 'a fairly routine comment' and said the pair discussed Northern Ireland and 'how the British-run region achieved peace.'

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage: Farage wrote on X: 'Northern Ireland is a proud and integral part of the United Kingdom. The people of Northern Ireland neither want a referendum, nor unification. I disagree with President Trump.'

Reform UK treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick: Jenrick told Sky News: 'If you're referring to what he said about Ireland he was completely wrong. We're a unionist party. The clue's in the name, Reform UK, and we'll always support the union. We firmly disagree with Donald Trump on this. He shouldn't have weighed into British politics. Our borders are our borders. And Reform will always defend the United Kingdom.'

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch: Badenoch wrote on X: '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,' and said Trump is 'shooting from the hip as usual.'

Conservative MP Alex Burghart (Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland): Burghart stated: 'Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom. Kemi and the Conservatives will always stand up for the Union. We will build a stronger economy in every corner of the United Kingdom, creating jobs and opportunities and clearing up Labour's mess.'

DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) leader Gavin Robinson: Robinson said Northern Ireland's future would be decided by its people, not 'commentary in London, Dublin or Washington.' He added: 'As unionists, we are not interested in the destruction of our country by joining with the Irish Republic.'

UK Housing Secretary Angela Rayner (Labour): Rayner told Sky News: 'Donald Trump is Donald Trump, and the president will say what and speak his mind as he sees it. But look, we're really serious about the Good Friday Agreement. We're very proud of our history there and working with Ireland to make sure that we implement the Good Friday Agreement and we continue on that path.'

Protesters in Dublin: According to Arab News citing The Irish Times, one protester said the crowd was intended to send a message of opposition, stating: 'With Trump, the only people on the streets are here to oppose him.' Holly Eustance told the newspaper that Trump's policies threatened vulnerable species and the planet, saying 'war and climate change caused widespread destruction while political and economic systems favored billionaires over people.'

Local business owners in Doonbeg: Martin Kelly, a local businessman, told BBC News NI that the village is 'very fortunate' to have Trump International Golf Course, saying: 'It's a massive employer here to be honest with you. There's nothing else about here at that scale; they're very decent people to work for, they're very fair.' He said local people are 'very proud' that the golf tournament took place there. Seoirse Comerford, owner of the Comerford bar in Doonbeg, described the tournament as 'unbelievable' and said the golf course gives 'a big boost' to the local economy.

Where sources differ

ABC News Australia reported that Trump dismissed critics of AI development as 'very negative forces,' but this content appears unrelated to the Ireland visit story and may represent editorial error in the source material.

Gaps & Unknowns

No direct response or statement from British Prime Minister Andy Burnham appears in the sources beyond the factual statement that he has ruled out referendums on Scottish independence and Northern Ireland leaving the UK.
The sources do not establish how many people actually attended the Dublin protest, with organizers claiming 25,000 and The Irish Times suggesting the actual number was likely lower, but no definitive figure is provided.
The sources do not establish what specific matters were discussed between Trump and Micheál Martin beyond the general references to Northern Ireland, Irish unity, and whiskey tariffs.
The sources do not explain why Trump declined to discuss Scottish independence in detail or what prompted him to bring up the topic.
The sources do not establish whether Trump's comments reflect a deliberate policy shift or represent an off-the-cuff remark, despite Trump characterizing them as 'a fairly routine comment.'

Sources & Further Reading

Washington Post World — original — by Steve Hendrix
The Straits Times — by The Straits Times
ABC News Australia
BBC News — by Enda McClafferty
The Independent — by Rebecca Whittaker
Arab News — by Arab News

Read the original at Washington Post World

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