Trump to meet Irish leaders before golf tournament

DUBLIN: US President Donald Trump is heading to Ireland for a brief 48-hour visit that will combine high-level political meetings with a very familiar weekend activity — golf.

Trump is due to meet Irish President Catherine Connolly and Prime Minister Micheál Martin on Saturday before travelling to western Ireland, where his Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg is hosting the Irish Open golf tournament.

The trip comes at a politically sensitive moment for Trump, following a Republican Party convention and the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. It also comes as the Iran war continues to fuel economic concerns in the United States, particularly through higher gasoline prices.

Although Trump’s meetings with Ireland’s leaders are not part of an official state visit, discussions could touch on some difficult issues, including the conflict in Iran, economic relations and Ireland’s position on international affairs.

Trump’s Republican Party is also campaigning to retain its majorities in both chambers of the US Congress ahead of November’s midterm elections. The economic impact of the Iran conflict has become an increasingly important concern for American voters.

The president’s visit is expected to draw demonstrations. Anti-war and anti-Trump protesters are planning rallies in Dublin as well as near Doonbeg in western Ireland.

Ireland has emerged as one of the European Union’s strongest supporters of Palestinian rights. In July, Dublin passed legislation restricting certain goods linked to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The measure drew criticism from US lawmakers and the American ambassador to Ireland.

Despite those differences, economic ties remain a major pillar of the US-Ireland relationship.

Prime Minister Martin has so far sought to avoid political confrontation with Washington, stressing the importance of the relationship between the two countries.

“The relationship between Ireland and the United States is very important economically,” Martin said, describing the connection as significant for both sides.

US-owned companies employ roughly 10 per cent of Ireland’s workforce, reflecting decades of government efforts to attract American investment and corporate tax revenues. Those policies have helped give Ireland some of Europe’s strongest public finances.

For President Connolly, Saturday’s meeting will be a notable change from her previous encounter with Trump. During his first presidential visit to Ireland in 2019, Connolly, then an outspoken politician critical of US foreign policy, protested against his visit outside Shannon Airport.

Now serving as Ireland’s largely ceremonial president, Connolly faces pressure from some supporters to speak more openly about US military actions and Ireland’s traditional policy of neutrality.

Trump’s Ireland trip will ultimately shift from diplomacy to sport. The Trump Organisation took control of the Doonbeg golf course in 2014, and Trump is expected to help present the Irish Open trophy to the winner on Sunday.

The unusual combination of presidential diplomacy and a Trump-branded golf weekend makes the visit one of the more closely watched stops on his foreign schedule.