U.S. President Donald Trump held talks Saturday in Dublin with his Irish counterpart Catherine Connolly during a weekend visit that's more about a major golf tournament hosted on a course he owns on the country's Atlantic coast. He also met with Ireland's Prime Minister Micheál Martin.
Trump will address the U.S. and Irish business leaders at the U.S. ambassador's official residence in Dublin before traveling to his oceanfront golf club in Doonbeg, on the other side of the country, to watch the Irish Open.
Connolly is a left-wing politician who was among those who protested when Trump visited Ireland in 2019 during his first term in office. She is now Ireland's elected, largely ceremonial head of state. A supporter of the Palestinian cause, she in the past has criticized U.S. policy in the Middle East and called Trump a "bully."
The Irish president met Trump at the end of a red carpet at her official residence. They shook hands and chatted before going inside. He emerged alone a few minutes later and saluted as an Irish Defence Forces band played the U.S. national anthem and inspected an Irish Army honor guard.
Connolly then joined Trump outdoors to introduce the U.S. and Irish delegations before the leaders went back inside for their closed-door talks.
Trump's visit is the latest example of blending his official duties and personal interests.
Trump visit irks some Dubliners
Police put up a cordon around Dublin's 1,750-acre (700-hectare) Phoenix Park, where he met Connolly at her residence, Áras an Uachtaráin. He will meet Martin, the taoiseach, at the government's Farmleigh state guesthouse and stop by Deerfield, the U.S. ambassador's residence.
Some residents expressed annoyance over the disruption.
"He's causing mayhem in this city because he wants to go down to Doonbeg and play golf," said taxi driver Christopher Fox, emphatically not a fan of Trump. "The world's in turmoil and this fella's down playing golf."
University student Mina Petrovski said Trump's "attitudes towards women, towards immigrants, towards minority communities in general are abhorrent." She said it's "shameful that the Irish government is welcoming him with open arms."
Separately, a collection of left-leaning opposition parties, anti-military groups, pro-Palestinian organizations, environmentalists and others plan to demonstrate against Trump in Dublin on Saturday.
Eric Trump defends family's presence in Ireland
Trump's son, Eric, says the family is loved in Ireland, despite the protests planned over his father's visit.
Speaking to Irish national broadcaster RTE on Friday in Doonbeg, home to the Trump International golf resort, Eric Trump said the course is the largest employer in the area.
"Go down to Morrissey's tavern in Doonbeg and hear from a real Irish person as to whether or not they like President Trump and the Trump family, go have them attest to what we've done for the country and what we've invested in the country and the love and respect that our family has always shown them," he said.
Trump flew overnight to Ireland after observing the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. The Republican president spent the two nights before Friday's solemn observance giving lengthy speeches at a political pep rally in Dallas.
Trade on agenda for Trump's talks with Martin
Martin invited Trump to visit Ireland when they met at the White House on St. Patrick's Day this year, and Ireland's political leaders will likely see the visit as a chance to maintain warm trans-Atlantic relations despite differences over trade and foreign policy, issues the White House said Trump wants to discuss.
Martin said before Trump arrived that he looked forward to discussing issues of "mutual interest" and "reaffirming the strong economic, cultural and people-to-people ties between Ireland and the United States."
Martin also said he hopes to see an Irish winner lifting the trophy on Sunday. Ireland's Shane Lowry topped the leaderboard at the tournament's halfway point.
Trump enjoys golf
Trump plays golf just about every weekend at clubs he owns in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia. His attendance at the Irish Open continues his trend of appearing at high-profile sporting events — and having a hand in organizing some of them in ways that benefit his family business. His clubs in Doral, Florida, and Bedminster, New Jersey, have each hosted professional golf tournaments this year.
The Irish Open is the second European Tour event to be held at a Trump property this year. The Nexo Championship was held last month at Trump's golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Last year, Trump went to Scotland for five days to play golf at his club in Turnberry and later inaugurated a new Trump golf course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire. During that visit, he held talks with the British prime minister and the president of the European Commission.
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