US President Donald Trump stated during a visit to Dublin on Saturday that he would love to see a unified Ireland. Meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Trump described the prospect of reunifying the Republic of Ireland with British-run Northern Ireland as a fantastic and great thing, suggesting that since unification will eventually happen, it may as well happen now.
These comments have put the US president at odds with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who recently asserted that a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the United Kingdom is off the table. Burnham maintains that there is currently not enough popular support for such a move. Trump's remarks also drew a sharp response from the UK government and pro-British unionist leaders in Northern Ireland.
The intervention breaks longstanding U.S. neutrality regarding the reunification of the island, a highly sensitive issue that was the source of decades of violence until a 1998 peace deal. Trump's visit to Ireland, which included meetings with local leaders, was also intended for him to watch a golf tournament.