The Aporia
The Aporia
McCambridge, J. (2026, September 12). ‘War and genocide can never be accepted’, Connolly tells Trump. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/trump-iran-president-oval-office-b1296723.html
McCambridge, Jonathan. “‘War and genocide can never be accepted’, Connolly tells Trump.” Evening Standard, 12 Sept. 2026, https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/trump-iran-president-oval-office-b1296723.html.
McCambridge, Jonathan. “‘War and genocide can never be accepted’, Connolly tells Trump.” Evening Standard, September 12, 2026. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/trump-iran-president-oval-office-b1296723.html.
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US President Donald Trump, during a visit to Ireland in September 2023, stated that he would "love" to see a unified Ireland and predicted it would happen eventually. He made these comments after meeting with the Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Dublin. Despite expressing his support for unification, Trump acknowledged that the United Kingdom (UK) would have a say on the matter.
Trump's remarks touched on sensitive political issues in Northern Ireland, where the majority of people are Protestant and identify as British, while the Republic of Ireland is predominantly Catholic and has long sought unity with the north. His comments were met with criticism from Northern Irish unionist parties like the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unionist Party, who oppose such a move.
The UK government also responded swiftly to Trump's remarks, with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisting that unity was "off the table." Meanwhile, Ireland's President Mary McAleese emphasized during her meeting with Trump the importance of building shared peace and rejecting normalization of war and genocide. Despite these contentious statements, Trump continued his visit by attending the Amgen Irish Open at his golf resort in Doonbeg, Co Clare, where he handed over the winner’s trophy before leaving Ireland. The event was marked by significant security measures due to protests against his presence.
