During his visit to Dublin, former U.S. President Donald Trump expressed support for Irish unification, saying he would "love to see it unified" and suggesting it could happen soon with the help of Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin. This comment has drawn criticism from Northern Ireland's unionist parties, including the DUP and UUP, who argue that decisions about Northern Ireland’s future should be made by its people rather than foreign leaders.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-12,
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same event (that is the story summary below).
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Trump has weighed in on the question of Irish unity, saying he would “love to see it unified” and predicting that a united Ireland is “going to happen eventually”.
asserted
Ireland → weigh → unity
He suggested it “may as well happen now” and appeared to cast Micheál Martin as the person to help make it happen.
uncertain
it → suggest → person
He said:
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.
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I → say → sides
They’re Irish people.
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They → ’re → ?
I’d love to see it unified.
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it → love → ?
I think it would be a great feather in everybody’s cap if that happened.
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that → think → cap
It’s going to happen eventually.
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It → go → ?
You know what?
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You → know → what
The way I look at it, it’s going to happen eventually.
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it → look → it
It may as well happen now.
uncertain
It → happen → ?
We’re talking about it and you got the right man over here to get it moving.
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it → talk → man
But, yeah, I think it would be a fantastic thing.
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it → think → ?
Now the UK will have something to say about it, obviously.
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UK → have → it
But I think it would be a great thing.
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it → think → ?
I mean, how can it be bad?”
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it → mean → ?
Northern Ireland’s leading unionist parties, the DUP and UUP, have hit back at Trump’s call for a unified Ireland.
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parties → lead → Ireland
DUP leader Gavin Robinson posted on X:
President Trump knows better than most that elections matter.
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elections → post → most
Northern Ireland’s constitutional future will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland, not by commentary in London, Dublin or Washington.
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future → decide → London
Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom because that is the settled democratic will of its people.
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that → settle → people
I am confident NI will continue to choose the UK and the security it offers.
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it → continue → UK
As unionists we are not interested in the destruction of our country by joining with the Irish Republic.
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we → join → Republic
TUV leader Jim Allister said Trump “is not the first US president to meddle in the affairs which don’t concern him”.
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which → say → him
He added:
Northern Ireland is not a pawn in Trump’s fall-out with the UK.
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Ireland → add → UK
Our constitutional future does not depend on him or any other foreign dignitary.
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future → depend → him
Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA said the US president “like anyone else in the world, is entitled to express his view on the constitutional future of another country”, before adding:
But the only people whose decision counts are the people of Northern Ireland.
That is the principle of consent, now enshrined in law through the Belfast Agreement, negotiated and delivered by the Ulster Unionist Party.
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That → say → Party
America has been, and remains, an important ally, from the Second World War and the global fight against terrorism to the defence of democracy around the world.
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America → remain → world
Their businesses increasingly see that our workforce here is the best in the world.
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workforce → see → world
But when all is said and done, Northern Ireland’s future will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland.
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future → say → Ireland
I am confident that we are safer, more secure and more prosperous within the United Kingdom, and that is where we will remain.
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we → remain → Kingdom
When he was asked earlier about the demonstrations, the US president said: “I didn’t know there was a protest.
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I → ask → demonstrations
It can’t be a very big one because we’ve been all over Ireland today already, it’s early in the morning… but I haven’t seen any protest,
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I → ’ → protest
It’s a friendly protest.
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It → ’ → ?
Back to Trump’s speech, where he has offered his assessment of the Irish people, praising them for their warmth and friendliness before warning they can be “vicious bastards”.
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they → offer → warmth
You know they say you can’t generalise about groups of people, countries, but you can.
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you → know → people
People love coming to Ireland.
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People → come → Ireland
You know why?
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You → know → ?
Because they love you.
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they → love → you
They love the people.
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They → love → people
Let me tell you, you are some of the most vicious bastards... but when you want to be nice, there is nobody nicer.
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you → let → bastards
PA reports that among the gifts Donald Trump received from Irish president Catherine Connolly was a St Brigid’s Cross, traditionally associated with peace, along with a collection of poetry that included Michael Longley’s sonnet Ceasefire.
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that → receive → sonnet
…and 51 more, not listed.
