Irish leaders react after Trump says he'd 'love' to see a unified Ireland

Northern Ireland would need to approve the move in a referendum.

DUBLIN -- President Donald Trump sparked the ire of some leaders in Northern Ireland shortly after his arrival in Dublin Saturday when he expressed an interest in seeing the end of a divided Ireland.

Trump first met with Irish President Catherine Connolly, who has been openly critical of the U.S. president in the past, for a closed-door meeting and then later met with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

During a news conference following his meeting with Martin, Trump said he would "love to see" the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland unified, calling a potential move "fantastic."

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin at Farmleigh House in Phoenix Park in the Irish capital Dublin on Sept. 12, 2026.Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images"I think it would be a great feather in everybody's cap if that happened. You know what? The way I look at it, it's going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now," he told reporters.

The partition between Northern Ireland, which at the time was predominantly home to Protestants and under United Kingdom rule for centuries, and the remainder of the largely Catholic Irish Republic took place in 1921 after centuries of conflicts between the British and Irish.

Those disputes continued and escalated in the late 1960s during the period that was known as "The Troubles."

The Troubles ended in 1998 following the approval with the Good Friday Agreement that enacted constitutional changes and disarming of paramilitary groups.

As part of the agreement, Northern Ireland would remain part of the U.K. until a majority of Northern Ireland's citizens approved for unification in a referendum.

Trump's comments about unification were met with opposition by many Irish leaders.

President Donald Trump mimics a golf swing while giving a speech at a special function during his visit to the US ambassador's residence in the Irish capital Dublin, on Sept. 12, 2026.Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty ImagesDemocratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson said in an X post Saturday that Trump "knows better than most that elections matter."

"Northern Ireland's constitutional future will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland, not by commentary in London, Dublin or Washington," Robinson said. "Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom because that is the settled democratic will of its people."

Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows shared a similar sentiment.

"Northern Ireland not a pawn in Trump's fall out with the UK. Our constitutional future does not depend on him or any other foreign dignitary," he said in an X post Saturday.

U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said earlier this year that a unity vote was "off the table."

A spokesperson for the prime minister said in a statement Saturday that Burnham's position is unchanged and he will "stick to the Good Friday Agreement 100%."

Protesters hit the streets of Dublin demonstrating against Trump during his two-day visit where he attended a golf tournament at one of his resorts.

People take part in a protest against the visit of US President Donald Trump in the Irish capital Dublin, on Sept. 12, 2026.Arthur Carron/AFP via Getty ImagesTrump acknowledged the controversy of his unification remarks during an event at the U.S. Embassy in Ireland later in the day but stuck to his comments.

"I gave a nice answer, I think. We'll worry about it tomorrow," he told the crowd of embassy personnel and business leaders.

-ABC News' Colm O'Molloy contributed to this report.