U.S. President Donald Trump (second from left) attends an arrival ceremony at Arras an Uachtaline in Phoenix Park in Ireland’s capital, Dublin, on September 12, 2026, and inspects the honor guard. (Photo: Adrian Dennis/AFP, Getty Images)
Adrian Dennis | AFP | Getty Images
US President Donald Trump will arrive in Dublin on Saturday and meet with Irish leaders before attending a golf tournament at his resort, a detour from his recent focus on the Iran war and his party’s efforts to retain power in November’s midterm elections.
Meetings with the President and Prime Minister of Ireland are not part of an official state visit. But the talks, which come after this week’s Republican convention and the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, could also include politically sensitive topics, such as the economy and Irish leaders’ concerns about the war with Iran.
President Trump is on a 48-hour trip as Republicans wage a campaign to maintain their majorities in both houses of Congress. The Iran conflict has caused gasoline prices to rise across the country, raising economic concerns among American voters.
They were greeted on the tarmac at Dublin Airport by Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
Anti-war and anti-Trump protests are planned near the Trump International Golf Links in Dublin and Doonbeg in western Ireland.
Ireland is one of the most pro-Palestinian countries in the European Union, and in July passed a law restricting trade in goods with settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. U.S. lawmakers and the U.S. ambassador to Ireland criticized the law.
Relations between America and Ireland
Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin has so far avoided political conflict with the US
“The relationship between Ireland and the United States is very important economically,” Martin told reporters when asked about Trump’s weekend trip. “It’s very important in both senses.”
U.S.-owned companies employ about 10% of Irish workers, as successive governments have prioritized Irish jobs and corporate tax revenues for decades, making Ireland one of the healthiest public finances in Europe in recent years.
President Trump will meet in Dublin on Saturday with Irish President Catherine Connolly, who was elected head of state last year. During Trump’s last visit as president in 2019, Connolly, an outspoken politician with far-left views on foreign policy, staged a protest outside Shannon Airport in western Ireland.
Some supporters have called on her to oppose American military action around the world and protect Ireland’s neutrality.
Including President Trump, eight sitting US presidents have visited Ireland since President John F. Kennedy in 1963. But the visit has some of the hallmarks of a typical President Trump weekend, which often revolves around golf on the grounds of his company.
The Trump Organization took control of the Doonbeg course, which will host this weekend’s Irish Open golf tournament, in 2014. Trump is expected to help award the trophy to the tournament winner on Sunday.
