U.S. President Donald Trump met Irish President Catherine Connolly at her official residence in Dublin on Saturday (September 12), on a 48-hour trip that also included a golf tournament at one of his resorts.

The talks with Connolly and with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin were not part of an official state visit, but could touch on politically sensitive ground, including economic questions and Irish concerns about the Iran war. Trump travelled as his Republican Party fought to hold its majorities in both chambers of the U.S. Congress at November's midterm elections, with the Iran conflict lifting gas prices nationwide and sharpening economic worries among American voters.

U.S. President said on Saturday he would "love" to see British-run Northern Ireland unify with Ireland, remarks made during a visit to Dublin that drew a sharp response from pro-British unionists in Northern Ireland.

Trump's comments come weeks after new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the United Kingdom was "off the table", a position Downing Street on Saturday said remained unchanged.

Under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the UK can be held only at the discretion of the British government. The accord ended three decades of violence between Irish nationalists seeking a united Ireland and unionists who wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK.

Previous U.S. presidents, including those with strong Irish heritage like Joe Biden, have been careful to remain neutral on Irish unification. The U.S. government played a key role in brokering the 1998 peace deal.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

DUBLIN, IRELAND (SEPTEMBER 12, 2026) (U.S. NETWORK POOL - No use USA)

1. CAR CARRYING U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ARRIVING AT OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF IRISH PRESIDENT

2. TRUMP GETTING OUT OF VEHICLE, WALKING RED CARPET AND SHAKING HANDS WITH IRISH PRESIDENT CATHERINE CONNOLLY

3. TRUMP AND CONNOLLY ENTERING RESIDENCE

4. GUARD OF HONOUR

5. TRUMP EXITING OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF IRISH PRESIDENT FOR CEREMONY

6. VARIOUS OF CEREMONY UNDERWAY, TRUMP WALKING WITH OFFICIALS, INSPECTING GUARD OF HONOUR

7. TRUMP GREETING IRISH DELEGATION

8. CONNOLLY GREETING DONALD TRUMP JR AND OTHER MEMBERS OF U.S. DELEGATION

9. TRUMP AND CONNOLLY ENTERING RESIDENCE

10. OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF IRISH PRESIDENT

DUBLIN, IRELAND (SEPTEMBER 12, 2026) (U.S. NETWORK POOL - No use USA)

1. U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ON STAGE

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAYING:

“What do you think about unification of Northern Ireland and Ireland? I said, oh, that's a nice question. I gave a nice answer, I think. We'll read about it tomorrow. That's one of those questions where no matter what you say, no matter how well you say it, There's no good answer, right? There are about four or five I could tell you some other ones, but I'm not going to get you started. But that was one of the questions. But I actually said it would be, I think, a very cool thing, to be honest with you. I think it would be cool. That’s half the room, clears out. Let's get the hell out of here. I don't like this guy. I liked him a lot 10 minutes ago. I don’t like him.”

3. TRUMP GIVING SPEECH

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAYING:

“And today I'm proud to report that the United States of America is doing better, literally better than it's ever done before. We have $21 trillion being invested. Can you believe it? It used to be, you used to do, you took all of our medical companies. We gotta get a couple of them back. You people did very well. You fleeced us, but that's okay.”

5. TRUMP GIVING SPEECH

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAYING:

“My wife is here…my wife is here in spirit. She's watching right now. She said, say hello because she's very friendly with these two people. I said, well, why don't you come with me? I said, she said, well, it's a seven-hour trip maybe I'm not that friendly. I said, put on a Make America Great Again hat and come on, let's go.”

7. TRUMP GIVING SPEECH

8. TRUMP THANKING AUDIENCE AT END OF SPEECH