&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump says unified Ireland would be 'fantastic', UK reacts: What is Irish reunification?")
US President Donald Trump on Saturday (Sep 13) said that he would “love” to see a united Ireland, predicting that reunification would happen eventually. He said that such a thing would be a “fantastic thing” during his visit to Dublin. "Well, I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I’d love to see it unified,” Trump told reporters, while sitting next to Ireland’s Prime Minister, Micheal Martin. “It’s going to happen eventually … I think it would be a fantastic thing,” he said. “Now the UK will have something to say about it … but I think it would be a great thing,” he added. His remarks came as Dublin witnessed anti-war and anti-Trump protests. An seemingly embarrassed Martin declined to respond to reporters’ questions to comment.
How UK reacted?
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham's office said that the position on Irish unification remains unchanged. Responding to questions from lawmakers in parliament on Wednesday about a possible border poll in Northern Ireland, Burnham said: "I am not aware that there is majority public support for another referendum, and until that changes, there will not be one."
What has been US stance on the matter?
The United States has traditionally maintained a stance of strict neutrality on Irish unification. In fact, it helped broker the 1998 Good Friday Agreement under the Clinton administration. For decades, Washington avoided taking sides, stating that any decision regarding the border must be left entirely to the democratic consent of the people of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Rather than treating the issue as a sensitive internal UK-Irish matter, Trump described the potential unification as a positive "merger" and suggested that Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin was "the right man... to get it moving." The sudden shift in tone has sparked a diplomatic row
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What is Irish reunification?
Irish unification is the proposal that the island of Ireland should become a single, sovereign independent state, ending the partition that separates the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland was partitioned in May 1921. The Republic of Ireland governs the majority of the island, while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom. A 1998 Good Friday Agreement forms the base of the reunification debate. It ended three decades of sectarian violence known as the Troubles. According to it, a border poll or referendum can be called if it appears likely that a majority in Northern Ireland would vote for Irish unification. The UK government maintains that Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom as long as a majority of its people want it to. Proponents highlight economic ties and healthcare coordination. Opponents point to unionist identity, distinct ties to Britain, and high economic costs.
