During a visit to Ireland, President Donald Trump expressed a desire for the country to become unified. This comment was made on a stage in Dublin alongside Ireland’s Prime Minister, Micheál Martin. The context involves Ireland’s complex historical relationship with the United Kingdom.
The Republic of Ireland achieved independence from the UK in 1922, while Northern Ireland, created in 1921, remains part of the UK. Trump stated, “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?” He suggested that unification would be a “great feather in everybody’s cap,” while acknowledging the UK’s involvement in such matters.
President Trump met with Prime Minister Micheál Martin at Farmleigh House in Phoenix Park, Dublin, on September 12, 2026. Later, he spoke at the Deerfield Residence, home to the U.S. ambassador in Ireland. Introduced by U.S. Ambassador Edward S. Walsh, Trump entered to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.” He referred back to earlier remarks on Irish reunification made during his meeting with Martin.
“That’s one of those questions where no matter what you say, no matter how well you say it, there’s no good answer, right?” Trump remarked, noting that reunification seemed like a “cool thing.”
The question of Irish unity is one of the island’s most contentious political issues. Between the late 1960s and late 1990s, Northern Ireland endured a period of sectarian conflict known as “the Troubles.” This conflict saw over 3,500 deaths, involving Irish nationalist republican groups, loyalist paramilitary groups, and British forces.
Irish nationalists and republicans, mostly from Northern Ireland’s Catholic community, aimed to form a united Irish state. Unionists and loyalists, predominantly Protestant, wished to keep Northern Ireland as part of the UK.
James Cirrone is a writer on the Breaking/Trending News team at Fox News Digital. Contact James Cirrone for story tips at [email protected].
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