The Irish Open at the Trump Organization's Doonbeg Course offers top-tier golf, but Donald Trump's surprising political announcements off the green delivered the real bombshell, stirring up all of Ireland. His two-day visit to Ireland, which culminated on Sunday, was not just business as usual but also a stage for his renowned off-the-cuff diplomacy, which once again caused quite a stir.
What happened? On Saturday, Trump caught not only his Irish hosts but also the neighboring UK completely off guard. He ventured into a political minefield, declaring that he would 'wish for' a united Ireland. With this, he coldly broke with Washington's traditional neutrality on this historically sensitive issue. Trump's argument: the reunification of the Republic of Ireland and the British territory of Northern Ireland – after over a century of separation – would 'happen eventually anyway'.
'It can happen now,' he boomed during his meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Dublin. Naturally, this stirred up considerable backlash. Pro-British loyalists in Northern Ireland and leading politicians on the British Isles immediately spoke out. Things truly heated up on the political 'green'. UK Minister Angela Rayner dryly commented to Sky News on Sunday: 'Donald Trump is Donald Trump, and the president says what he thinks.' At the same time, she emphasized the seriousness of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which significantly pacified the thirty-year conflict in Northern Ireland. The agreement stipulates that a referendum on Irish unity can take place if the British government deems majority approval there likely. Additionally, voters in the Republic of Ireland would have to agree in a separate vote.
Golf Spectacle Meets Security Show
Just hours after his political one-man show, Trump landed in Doonbeg on the country's west coast. This is where his own Trump Organization golf course will host the Irish Open in 2026 – with massive fanfare. The US President personally attended the tournament on Sunday – the actual main reason for his trip – before departing for Washington that same day. He might even present the winner's trophy!
Micheál Martin had already assured Trump on Saturday that the 784 residents of Doonbeg were 'very grateful' to the Trump Organization for the investment after the company purchased the property in 2014. His family was 'warmly welcomed' there. In this remote corner of Ireland, the US President was accompanied by his two sons, Eric and Don Jr. The two have been managing the family business since their 80-year-old father returned to the White House in 2025. The former real estate mogul, who never misses an opportunity to promote his ventures, raved to Martin that Doonbeg is 'one of the best courses in the
