Trump in Ireland: United Ireland Would Be “Fantastic,” Canada Deal “Fairly Soon,” Chinese Plants Welcome

President Trump, on the first day of a two-day unofficial visit to Ireland, said he would “love to see” a united Ireland and that it would be “fantastic,” breaking with the long-standing U.S. practice of staying formally neutral on Northern Ireland’s constitutional status. Sitting beside Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Farmleigh House in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, he told reporters: “I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I’d love to see it unified. It’s going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now.” He called Martin “the right man over here to get it moving,” added that “the UK will have something to say about it, obviously,” and asked, “How can it be bad?” At the U.S. ambassador’s residence later he said there was “no good answer” to the question but repeated that unification would be “a very cool thing.” Martin did not answer follow-ups on the remarks.

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which the United States helped broker, provides that Northern Ireland remains in the United Kingdom unless a majority there votes otherwise. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said a border poll is “off the table.” Downing Street said Saturday that position had not changed. Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson, who has previously supported Trump, wrote that Northern Ireland’s future “will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland, not by commentary in London, Dublin or Washington” and that unionists were “not interested in the destruction of our country by joining with the Irish Republic.” Ulster Unionist leader Jon Burrows said Trump was entitled to an opinion but that only voters in Northern Ireland count. TUV leader Jim Allister called it meddling. SDLP leader Claire Hanna noted the comment at her party conference in Belfast. Polls still show a majority in Northern Ireland favoring the UK. About 3,700 people died in three decades of the Troubles. Trump also told Martin that Ireland had “fleeced” the United States by taking medical companies but that the relationship was “fantastic” and “there’s a lot of room to go around.”

On trade with Canada, Trump was asked whether he intended to leave the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. He did not answer directly. “Canada wants to make a deal very badly,” he said. “Canada has to treat our farmers better, and they can’t charge our farmers tariffs. They’re charging our farmers 400% tariffs and many other things, so when those things go away, they’re willing to get rid of it all. You’ll probably see a deal with Canada fairly soon.” He said the United States had been “ripped off for 50 years by Canada,” that “we don’t need their product, and they need our product,” and that Washington had “a good” relationship with Ottawa and would have “a great relationship with Mexico.” August talks collapsed; 50% U.S. tariffs on billions of dollars in Canadian goods remain in force. He gave no date and no confirmation that formal negotiations had restarted. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Ottawa remains ready for a mutually beneficial deal.

On Friday, before leaving Washington, Trump told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham he would be “OK” with Chinese automakers opening U.S. plants if they hire American workers, citing Japanese transplants. “If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I’d be okay with that. Japan does it, but they hire our people.” He said he does not want Chinese firms building in Mexico and shipping across the border, rejected rumors he would allow imported Chinese cars, and said a 150% tariff remains on cars from China. A late-Biden rule and tariffs above 100% still block most Chinese passenger vehicles. U.S. automakers and some lawmakers have opposed opening the market. A meeting with Xi Jinping is scheduled in coming weeks.

Asked in Dublin whether Iran was behind Friday’s drone strikes that shut Saudi Arabia’s East-West crude pipeline — a Hormuz bypass — Trump said, “I think they are, probably they are. They’re on the balls of their feet right now.” He said he had spoken with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, “a good friend,” that Houthis had contacted his administration and preferred the United States stay out, and that they were “letting most ships go through.” He said the Iran war would likely end “right after the midterms” and that oil prices would then fall. He also said U.S. forces “very powerfully controlled the Hormuz Strait.”

Trump arrived at Dublin Airport about 8:25 a.m., saw President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin, then Martin, then business leaders, then flew to Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg for the Amgen Irish Open. Sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. joined him. He is expected to present the trophy Sunday. Ireland mounted one of its largest security operations, with about 4,000 personnel. BBC reported more than 10,000 people marched in Dublin against the visit, citing Iran and Gaza policy. Smaller protests formed near Doonbeg. Connolly, a left-wing critic of Trump, occupies a largely ceremonial post. The trip is unofficial and centered on the president’s own course, purchased in 2014.