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President Donald Trump is scheduled to fly to Ireland for the Irish Open, with a brief bilateral meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, a courtesy call to President Catherine Connolly, and subsequent golf at Doonbeg. Discussions are expected to cover golf, economy, Ukraine, and Middle East, amid concerns over potential heated topics such as Gaza and Iran with Connolly, while Eric Trump remains skeptical about any fallout.
US president’s son, Eric Trump, does not believe meeting with Catherine Connolly at Áras will go ‘off the rails’ Donald Trump is expected to fly to Shannon Airport at lunchtime and be at his Doonbeg resort to watch the Irish Open in the afternoon.
Photograph: Finn Gomez/Getty ImagesFollowing official contacts between the two sides in advance of Trump’s trip to the Republic, the Government expects him to raise the issue during what is expected to be a brief bilateral meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Farmleigh House, Dublin, on Saturday morning. Scenes from Doonbeg as last minute preparations take place ahead of the visit of President Donald Trump this weekend for the Irish Open.
Photos: Bryan O’BrienGreens call for €2.5bn to fund solar panels in homes and for ‘targeted’ energy creditsOne senior Irish official speculated that Martin would likely raise “golf, economy, Ukraine and Middle East” in their discussions. Senior officials downplayed nervousness in Government about the visit, which will begin early in the morning when Trump’s new Air Force One plane lands at Dublin Airport, where he will be met by Tánaiste Simon Harris.
From there he will be taken by helicopter to the Phoenix Park for three engagements: a courtesy call to President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin; the meeting with Martin in Farmleigh; and a reception hosted by the US ambassador at his nearby Deerfield residence. Once the morning programme is concluded, Trump is expected to fly to Shannon Airport at lunchtime and be at his Doonbeg resort to watch the Trump is due to stay overnight on Saturday and is expected to present the trophy to the winner on Sunday evening.
There has been unease in Government all week about the meeting of the two presidents at Áras an Uachtaráin. Connolly has been a long-time critic of Trump and Opposition parties and supporters of Connolly expect her to raise issues such as Gaza, the West Bank and Iran with the US leader. The US president’s son Eric Trump has said he expects his father’s meeting with Connolly to go “exceptionally well”.
Eric Trump said on Friday his father loves Ireland and he did not see his meeting with Connolly going “off the rails”. Speaking in an interview with RTÉ from the family-owned resort in Doonbeg, Co Clare, Eric Trump rejected assertions that his father’s decision to go to war with Iran was responsible for the spike in energy prices. He said that Europe had turned its back on “clean” drilling of oil in favour of expensive renewables.
He was asked about Connolly’s strident criticism of Trump before she became President in November last year, in which she described him as volatile and a bully.
“My father’s willing to open his arms to anyone,” he replied. “And he’s also willing to go head-to-head with anyone. And I think you’ve seen that in the Oval Office. ” However, Eric Trump was highly critical of comedian and actor Rosie O’Donnell, who has moved to the Republic because of her opposition to the Trump administration.
“She has no career. She has no following. She left America because, generally speaking, no one liked her,” he claimed. Asked about former British prime minister Gordon Brown’s description of the US administration as the most corrupt in the country’s history, he replied that he did not care what Brown said and there “was not a single data point” where London was doing better than New York.
During the interview, Eric Trump also said he wanted to build a new ballroom in Doonbeg and also expressed interest in the idea of a Trump tower in Dublin. Protests against the visit have been organised for Dublin city centre and in Doonbeg. Large security operations are in place in both locations, with the Phoenix Park closed since Thursday evening.
Dublin Airport operator DAA indicated there would be road closures around the hub between 7.30am and 9.30am and again between 11.30am and 1.30pm. There will also be traffic restrictions on the M50 motorway to facilitate the transfer of the US delegation and travelling press between the airport and the Phoenix Park, expected to be in place around 8am to 9am and again from noon to 1pm.
There will be “no tolerance” for public disorder or attempts to derail Trump’s movements, said Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly on Friday, and water cannons will be deployed if necessary. Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said the Government will enact the occupied territories Bill restricting trade with illegal settlements in the West Bank in the days after Trump’s visit.
She also said she had “no doubt” that Connolly would raise “issues of significant importance for the people of Ireland” with her US counterpart when she meets him. Greens call for €2.5bn to fund solar panels in homes and for ‘targeted’ energy creditsFF Senator paid €16,700 in travel expenses while sick at home for eight monthsBouncy castle play linked to largest outbreak of common superbug in IrelandIrish Open at Doonbeg: What are the tee times?
What TV channel is it on? Is Donald Trump going to be there? Greens call for €2.5bn to fund solar panels in homes and for ‘targeted’ energy creditsOur politics team's behind-the-scenes take on events of the day. Sent Monday to Friday when the Dáil is in session
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