President Donald Trump’s off-the-cuff comment about a “very cool thing” has created an international uproar embroiling multiple frustrated nations, reports show.
Trump in Ireland on Saturday morning repeatedly told reporters and officials that he supported a unified Ireland.
“I think it would be cool,” said Trump. “I actually said it would, I think, be a very cool thing.”
Trump of course was referencing the centuries-long conflict between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland over the latter’s fight for independence from the United Kingdom.
To simplify an extremely complex political conflict marred by famine, sectarian violence and civil war — the predominately Protestant Northern Ireland prefers to remain within the United Kingdom while the historically Catholic Republic cherishes its freedom.
This perhaps is why the BBC reports Trump immediately created a “headache” for the Irish government and Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
Former Democratic Unionist Party MP Ian Paisley, a close friend of the Trump family, reportedly argued Trump was suggesting the Republic return to the United Kingdom and “the crown.”
Asked for comment, 10 Downing Street did not align itself with Trump and referred the BBC to Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s promise that he would stick “100 percent” to The Good Friday Agreement, which in 1998 ended 30 years of “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland.
Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson, whose party strongly supports Northern Ireland remaining in the United Kingdom, snapped back at Trump on X.
“Northern Ireland’s constitutional future will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland, not by commentary in London, Dublin or Washington,” he wrote. “As unionists we are not interested in the destruction of our country by joining with the Irish Republic.”
Robbie Butler, the Northern Ireland unionist who serves as minister of health, also lambasted Trump for his comment on X.
“For years we have been told this President is beyond the pale: his character, his conduct, his position on Gaza,” Butler wrote. “One sentence about a united Ireland and he is apparently a statesman of rare vision. It seems his judgement is sound only on the one subject where it happens to suit.”
“The President was at least candid enough to accept that the United Kingdom would have something to say about it,” Butler added. “So would the people of Northern Ireland, who under the Belfast Agreement are the only people whose consent counts.”
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