Trump lands in Ireland for golf tournament and talks with leaders
TLE DESK: US President Donald Trump arrived in Ireland on Saturday for two days of diplomatic meetings and golf, in a visit that once again draws attention to the blurred line between his presidential duties and his family’s private business interests.
Trump landed at Dublin Airport shortly before 8:25 am local time aboard a plane gifted by Qatar, according to AFP reporters at the scene.
More than 4,000 police officers and other security personnel, including snipers, have been deployed for the visit in what Irish authorities have described as one of the country’s largest-ever security operations.
Thousands of anti-Trump protesters are expected to demonstrate in Dublin, where the US president is scheduled to meet Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin and President Catherine Connolly separately.
Trump will then travel to his luxury resort in Doonbeg on Ireland’s west coast, where some of the world’s leading golfers are competing in the Irish Open.
The golf-loving president could even present the tournament trophy on Sunday.
“He’s really just visiting the golf resort he owns and dropping into Dublin for a courtesy visit,” said Daniel Geary, a US history professor at Trinity College Dublin.
“He sees little difference between his private interests and his role as president.”
Golf business in the spotlight
The 80-year-old billionaire has openly promoted his family’s golf business since returning to the White House for a second term in January 2025.
Last summer, he hosted then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his Turnberry resort on Scotland’s west coast.
Trump later inaugurated another golf course bearing his name in Balmedie, near Aberdeen.
“He certainly sends a message that he is passionately interested in his own family’s business,” said Richard Painter, a University of Minnesota law professor and government ethics expert.
He warned that such promotion could prove politically damaging to the Republican Party ahead of the US midterm elections, particularly as many Americans struggle with the cost of living.
Ireland’s security operation for Trump’s visit is reportedly costing around €20 million ($23 million), adding to the demands on police already handling security for the country’s six-month presidency of the European Union.
Trump’s appearance at Doonbeg, a remote coastal resort in County Clare purchased by the Trump Organization in 2014, has added another layer of complexity to the operation.
Around 40,000 spectators are expected at the Irish Open over the weekend, with six-time major winner and current world number two Rory McIlroy among the tournament’s biggest attractions.
McIlroy, who has previously played golf with Trump, told the BBC that the tournament would feel “different” with the US president at the resort, but said players would simply “keep our heads down and play”.
Gaza and trade likely on agenda
Trump’s first meeting will be with President Connolly, whose role is largely ceremonial. A left-wing politician and outspoken Trump critic, Connolly is under pressure from supporters to raise the situation in Gaza during their meeting.
Trump will then meet Prime Minister Martin, whom he has hosted twice at the White House and with whom he appears to have developed a cordial relationship.
The Middle East, including the US and Israel’s war with Iran, as well as US tariffs on European Union pharmaceuticals and immigration, are expected to feature in their discussions.
Ireland and the United States have traditionally maintained close ties, strengthened by deep ancestral connections between the two countries.
But Dublin’s policies diverge sharply from those of the Trump administration on several issues, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Ireland is among a number of European countries, including Spain, the UK and France, that have announced trade restrictions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
“Martin is experienced enough that it should be fine at the political level. The big uncertainty is President Connolly,” said Eoin O’Malley, a political scientist at Dublin City University.
“She protested against his last visit in 2019, and her supporters will expect her to make some show for them. But she’s also aware that she cannot do or say anything that might inflict damage on the relationship.”
“I expect it will be short and courteous,” he said.
