On a visit to Ireland on Saturday, President Trump said he would “love to see” the nation unified.
After arriving in Dublin, Ireland, Mr. Trump was asked for his view on Irish unification.
Ireland is divided between the independent Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom.
“I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you I’d love to see it unified,” said Mr. Trump, sitting beside the Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, the country’s prime minister.
“I think it would be a great feather in everybody’s cap if that happened. It’s going to happen eventually. … It may as well happen now.”
He added that “the U.K. will have something to say about it, obviously.”
During a speech at the U.S. ambassador’s residence, Mr. Trump appeared to double down, although he acknowledged the controversy surrounding Ireland’s borders.
“I gave a nice answer, I think. We’ll read about it tomorrow,” he joked about his earlier answer. “That’s one of those questions where no matter what you say, no matter how well you say it, there’s no good answer.”
Mr. Trump reiterated that he thought “it would be cool” for Ireland to unify.
Irish unification is a politically charged concept.
The U.K. recognized the Irish Republic’s independence in a 1921 treaty ending the war of independence.
The treaty also allowed the northern counties of Ireland to withdraw from the republic, an option which they exercised.
There has long been opposition to the division of Ireland.
From the 1960s until the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, Ireland underwent a period of political violence known as “The Troubles.”
Paramilitary forces in favor of a unified Ireland and forces loyal to the U.K. engaged in armed violence and acts of terrorism, resulting in civilian deaths.
Ahead of Mr. Trump’s visit, Sinn Fein, a party that favors reunification, planned to join protests against Mr. Trump and his support of the Israeli government’s military actions.
The president told reporters alongside the taoiseach, “We have a great relationship with Ireland. The United States and Ireland have a very fantastic relationship, a very profitable one for Ireland, less profitable for us, to be honest with you.”
Mr. Trump also met with Ireland’s president, Catherine Connolly.
The visit to Ireland also allowed Mr. Trump to attend the Irish Open golf tournament at his Doonbeg resort.
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