ReportTrump Endorses Irish Unification, Drawing UK BacklashAired September 13, 2026 at 8:45 PM UTCWritten September 13, 2026 at 10:46 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:11A US president has just declared Irish reunification fantastic and said it will0:15happen eventually.0:16The remarks put the United States at odds with Britain's Prime Minister, who weeks0:20ago ruled out a border poll, and they break with every American president before0:24him.0:25The question now is whether the words change anything on the ground.0:28Trump arrived in Dublin on Saturday morning, met President Catherine Connolly and0:32Taoiseach McCall Martin, and later told reporters he would love to see Northern0:36Ireland and the Republic united.0:43He said reunification would be fantastic, that it's going to happen eventually, and0:48that it may as well happen now.0:50He even gestured at the Taoiseach, saying he had the right man to get it moving.0:54At the U.S.0:55Ambassador's residence that evening, he recalled the question, called unification a0:59very cool thing, and admitted there was no good answer to it, but said he gave a1:03nice answer, and they'd worry about it tomorrow.1:06On Sunday at Dunbeg, he called the two islands one of the naturals of all time to1:10put together.1:10The two positions could not be further apart.1:13One says it's inevitable, the other says it's not coming.1:16The row built over three weeks, starting with the Prime Minister's declaration in1:20Belfast.1:21Then the President's comments in Dublin and the response that followed.1:25Five figures drive the story.1:27The U.S.1:27President, the UK Prime Minister, the Irish Taoiseach, and the two leaders on either1:32side of the divide in Northern Ireland.1:34The visit spanned Dublin and Dunebeg, while the political battle centers on Belfast1:39and the border.1:40Roughly 10,000 people marched in Dublin.1:43Organizers claim far more.1:45And at Shannon, hundreds gathered while three women were arrested near the golf1:49course.1:50The reaction split straight down the unionist nationalist fault line.1:53Conservative leader Kemi Badenock called it shooting from the hip.1:57Reform UK's Nigel Farage said Northern Ireland is a proud and integral part of the2:01United Kingdom.2:02DUP leader Gavin Robinson insisted the future will be decided by the people of2:06Northern Ireland, not commentary from London, Dublin, or Washington.2:10On the other side, Sinn Féin's Mary Lou MacDonald called the comments timely and2:14said the conversation on Irish unity has shifted.2:17The Taoiseach himself said the unionist reaction was an overreaction.2:21Under the Good Friday Agreement, the British government is obliged to call a border2:24poll if a majority in Northern Ireland appears likely to vote for unification.2:28That trigger rests on judgment and polling, not on a U.S.2:31president's preference, and Trump has no vote in it.2:34So does anything change?2:36Not yet.2:36Burnham's position stands.2:38Downing Street repeated it, and the Taoiseach himself says a vote wouldn't succeed2:42now.2:42What has changed is the political weather for the first time.2:45A sitting U.S.2:46president has publicly backed the island's unification, and the row it created shows2:50how radioactive the question remains.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗