United States President, Donald Trump, has said he would welcome the unification of Ireland, describing it as a “fantastic” development during his visit to Dublin on Saturday.
Trump made the remarks while meeting Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin, weeks after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham ruled out holding a referendum on Northern Ireland’s constitutional future in the absence of sufficient public support.
“Well, I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I’d love to see it unified,” Trump told reporters, while sitting next to Ireland’s Prime Minister, Micheal Martin.
“It’s going to happen eventually … I think it would be a fantastic thing,” he said.
“Now the UK will have something to say about it … but I think it would be a great thing,” he added.
Martin did not respond when reporters asked him to comment on Trump’s position, while a spokesperson for Burnham said the British Prime Minister’s stance on Irish unification had not changed.
Responding to questions from members of parliament on Wednesday about a potential poll in Northern Ireland, Burnham said, “I am not aware that there is majority public support for another referendum, and until that changes, there will not be one”.
Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, a referendum on whether Northern Ireland should leave the United Kingdom can only be called at the discretion of the British government.
The agreement brought an end to decades of sectarian violence known as The Troubles.
Gavin Robinson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, said Northern Ireland’s constitutional future should be determined by its people rather than by Trump or governments elsewhere.
“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.”
Polls have continued to show a majority in Northern Ireland favouring remaining part of the UK, although the margin has narrowed somewhat since Brexit placed Irish unity higher on the political agenda.
Trump also met Irish President Catherine Connolly during his visit.
Anti-Trump and anti-war demonstrations were held in Dublin, with protesters citing opposition to US foreign policy and the cost of hosting the American president, including the security operation surrounding his visit.
