Trump’s Ireland visit set to test ties amid Gaza protests
The US president is due to meet Irish leaders and attend the Irish Open as opposition to his administration’s support for Israel’s actions in Gaza mobilises across Ireland.
US President Donald Trump is due to arrive in Ireland on Saturday for meetings with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President Catherine Connolly, alongside a visit to the Irish Open golf tournament. He is also expected to visit his resort in Doonbeg.
The visit is being met by planned demonstrations across Ireland, including at Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance. Protest organisers and political parties have framed the mobilisations around opposition to the Trump administration’s support for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
A poll conducted by the Sunday Independent and Ireland Thinks found that 69 percent of respondents did not support Trump’s visit. The figure comes from a single poll, with its methodology, sample size and fieldwork dates not provided.
Security preparations are expected to include about 4,000 personnel, including roughly 1,000 US Secret Service agents and anti-drone equipment. The arrangements reflect the scale of the political opposition surrounding the visit, although the size of the protests and any security incidents remain uncertain.
Ireland has been among Europe’s prominent critics of Israel. Sinn Féin and several other parties have endorsed or joined the demonstrations, while Trinity College Dublin has officially severed ties with Israel.
The visit is also likely to expose the limits of Ireland’s public criticism. Connolly has previously described the US, France and England as powers Ireland “certainly cannot trust”, while Ireland’s economic relationship with the US may constrain the issues raised during official discussions.
