U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited long-standing diplomatic sensitivities with London after publicly calling for a united Ireland during a two-day visit to the republic. Speaking to reporters alongside Irish leaders in Dublin, Trump declared he would “love” to see reunification and suggested it “may as well happen now.”

The unexpected endorsement strayed from decades of White House precedent maintaining neutrality on Ireland’s constitutional status. While acknowledging that the U.K. government would object, President Trump insisted he has friends on both sides and described potential reunification as a “great feather in everybody’s cap.”

“I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I’d love to see it unified,” Trump told reporters at a joint press conference with Taoiseach Micheál Martin. “The way I look at it, it’s going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now.”

Direct Pushback from London and Belfast

The President’s off-the-cuff remarks drew immediate backlash from political figures across the U.K. and Northern Ireland. A spokesperson for Downing Street reaffirmed the British government’s position, stating there is no evidence of the required public support to trigger a referendum under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

In Belfast, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson strongly rejected the President’s commentary. “Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom because that is the settled democratic will of its people,” Robinson said. “As unionists, we are not interested in the destruction of our country by joining with the Irish Republic.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also criticized the statements as “deeply unhelpful,” accusing Trump of creating unnecessary international friction. Meanwhile, Irish nationalist figures, including Sinn Féin representatives and former SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, welcomed the President’s comments.

Protests and Diplomacy Mark Dublin Stop

Beyond the constitutional uproar, Trump’s arrival in Ireland triggered thousands of anti-administration protesters to gather in central Dublin and outside parliament. Demonstrators voiced opposition to foreign policy decisions regarding Gaza, as well as domestic policies on climate change and trade.

Earlier in the day, President Trump paid a courtesy visit to Irish President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin. Following their meeting, Connolly issued a statement emphasizing “the strong view of the Irish people that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted.”

Trump later departed Dublin via Air Force One for his personal golf resort in Doonbeg, County Clare, where he is attending the Irish Open before returning to Washington.