Trump meets Ireland’s leaders in Dublin before trip to his Doonbeg golf club
U.S. President Donald Trump met Ireland’s top leaders in Dublin on Saturday, a stop that came before he headed across the country to his oceanfront
U.S. President Donald Trump met Ireland’s top leaders in Dublin on Saturday, a stop that came before he headed across the country to his oceanfront golf club in Doonbeg. The visit is being shaped as much by golf as by diplomacy.
Trump sat down with Irish President Catherine Connolly and Prime Minister Micheál Martin during the weekend trip. He was also due to address U.S. and Irish business leaders at the U.S. ambassador’s official residence in Dublin before leaving for Doonbeg to watch the Irish Open.
Red carpet meeting in Dublin
Connolly received Trump at the end of a red carpet at her official residence, where the two shook hands and chatted before going inside. The meeting carried added political weight. Connolly, a left-wing politician, was among those who protested when Trump visited Ireland in 2019 during his first term. She is now Ireland’s elected, largely ceremonial head of state.
She has also been a critic of U.S. policy in the Middle East and has previously called Trump a “bully.” A supporter of the Palestinian cause, Connolly has used her public platform to push a line that often sits well outside Washington’s own position.
Golf, business and politics
The stop in Dublin comes ahead of Trump’s trip to Doonbeg, on Ireland’s Atlantic coast, where he owns the resort-style golf course. The Irish Open at the club gives the visit a different edge: part political meeting, part business-style appearance, and part sporting spectacle.
Martin’s meeting with Trump added the Irish government’s voice to a visit that has drawn attention for its unusual balance of statecraft and private interests. The White House did not frame the day around a major policy announcement. It was, instead, a tightly packed itinerary with a familiar Trump pattern: formal talks, public appearances, then a move to one of his golf properties.
Trump’s next public event was set to be the address to business leaders in Dublin. After that, the road leads west to Doonbeg. And the Irish Open awaits.
