More than 10,000 march in Dublin against Trump visit
President Donald Trump told Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin that a united Ireland would be “fantastic” and “eventually” happen, in a meeting at Farmleigh House in Phoenix Park on Saturday, the opening day of his two-day visit to the Republic of Ireland. Trump said “now the UK would have something to say about it obviously but I think it would be a great thing, I mean, how can it be bad?” and described Martin as “the right man over here to get it moving.” A spokesperson for Martin said Trump’s comments should “come as a surprise to no one,” adding that the US president has been “consistent in his view that he sees unity in Ireland as the optimal outcome.”
The comments reopen a long-running debate over a potential border poll under the Good Friday Agreement and place the US president at odds with Downing Street, whose spokesperson pointed to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s House of Commons remarks on Wednesday that he “will stick to it [the Good Friday Agreement] 100%.” Burnham added that “the question of a border poll” was for the Northern Ireland secretary “when there is clear consensus in the country — when public opinion has changed to the point at which the call has to be considered.” Earlier in the week, Burnham had ruled out calling a referendum, describing a poll as “off the table.”
Earlier in the week, Martin had said there needed to be more clarity on when a border poll can be called. Ireland’s Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said “something to this magnitude can only happen where there’s consent from the Irish people. It’s something that we have to work on and we have to work towards.”
The Good Friday Agreement requires the Northern Ireland secretary to call a border poll if it appears likely that a majority of people in Northern Ireland would vote for Irish unification. The circumstances of when that could happen remain the subject of constant debate in Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Northern Ireland political leaders responded across the spectrum. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she acknowledged Trump’s comments and said the onus is on the Taoiseach to begin planning. DUP leader Gavin Robinson said Trump “knows better than most that elections matter,” adding: “Northern Ireland’s constitutional future will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland, not by commentary in London, Dublin or Washington.” Former DUP MP Ian Paisley said “everyone is allowed a personal opinion even when it’s wrong.”
SDLP leader Claire Hanna said there was something “fairly extraordinary” about Trump standing in Dublin and talking openly about Irish unity. “When even Donald Trump has clocked that Irish unity is no longer some distant or theoretical prospect, it tells you something about just how far this conversation has shifted.” Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows said that while America is an “important ally,” Northern Ireland’s future will be decided by its people. Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister said Trump “is not the first US President to meddle in the affairs which don’t concern him.”
After the Dublin meetings, Trump traveled to County Clare for the Amgen Irish Open at his family’s course in Trump International Golf Links Ireland in Doonbeg. He was accompanied by his sons Eric and Donald Trump Junior.
More than 10,000 protesters marched through central Dublin during the visit. The protest began near O’Connell Street and took 31 minutes to pass. Organizers said they wanted to send a message of opposition to Trump and his policies. A common theme among the posters and chants was US involvement in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Ireland is one of the most pro-Palestinian countries in the EU.
Among the protesters were Adrian and Tawnie, originally from California. Tawnie thinks Trump’s presidency has been “a disgrace and an embarrassment.” Adrian said Trump “serves the mantra of money makes the world go round,” adding: “He serves a billionaire class, I just don’t like him.”
Angela Jennings and Margot Feely, who attended the Dublin protest, said Trump’s attitude to the Middle East was “reprehensible.” “He’s causing chaos around the world,” Feely said. “There’s a war going on in Iran that isn’t necessary and it’s impacting the whole world.”
Demonstrators also gathered in Doonbeg, near Trump’s hotel, ahead of the Irish Open. There was a heavy Garda presence, road closures and tricolour bunting through the village. Sixty-year-old Jessie Phillips, originally from Tennessee, said she was protesting as a “concerned member of the public.” “I just want him [President Trump] to see my placard so he knows I don’t care for him and that my family doesn’t care for him and that he’s not welcome here or over there in my opinion.” Jenelle Jones, originally from New York City, said she felt “the need to show that we don’t all agree with him and we want him out.”
Caolann O’Dwyer, from Lahinch, County Clare, was also protesting in Doonbeg. “I hope our activity here changes the minds of some people,” he said. “I think our overzealous approach to this welcome is fundamentally crazy.”
Earlier on Saturday, Trump met with Irish President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of the Irish president. Connolly, who has been publicly critical of the US over Gaza, said she told Trump that “the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted.” She said she had faced pressure from left-wing parties who backed her at the 2025 presidential elections to raise Gaza with Trump.
“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,” Connolly said in a statement issued after the meeting.
Later, at an event at the US Ambassador to Ireland’s residence, Trump said there is “no good answer” to a question about a united Ireland. Recalling the moment, he said: “Oh that’s a nice question, I have a nice answer, I think, we’ll read about it tomorrow.” He also said the US-Ireland relationship is “stronger than ever,” adding: “We’ve a big relationship with Ireland. The two countries do very well together. It’s never been as good as it is right now.” Trump said he and Martin had discussed various topics including trade.
On Friday night Trump boarded Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, near the US capital Washington DC, and flew out for his trip to Ireland. He visited the Republic in 2019, when he spent time at his golf course, and also visited in 2023.
Irish authorities had been planning for Trump’s visit for months in what is one of the biggest security operations in the history of the state.