The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated this Saturday that he would "love" a unified Ireland, emphasizing that the United Kingdom would have "something to say" about it, although he insisted it would be "something fantastic."
"I don't want to cause any trouble, but I'll tell you that I would love to see it unified. I have friends on both sides, great people. They are Irish. I would love to see it unified," he declared alongside the Irish Prime Minister, Michéal Martin, during his two-day official visit to the country.
In his words, "they have the right man here to get it going, but yes, I think it would be something fantastic," he added, pointing to Martin, in response to questions from the journalists present.
Trump admitted that the United Kingdom "will have something to say about it," referring to Northern Ireland, a region integrated into the United Kingdom. "But I think it would be something great. I mean, how could it be bad?" he emphasized from Ireland, where he has traveled mainly to attend a golf tournament.
Later, at the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, the president joked that it is a matter on which "no matter what you say, there is no good answer" and considered that the "great" response he has offered will appear in the next day's press. Nevertheless, he reiterated that "it would be great" the unification of the island.
The armed conflict in Northern Ireland between unionists who support maintaining the link with the United Kingdom and Irish nationalists who demand the reunification of Ireland lasted nearly three decades, until the signing of the Good Friday Agreements in 1998, which left more than 3,500 dead.
Although tensions still persist between both communities, these agreements established a political framework to address the issue through a system of self-government under British sovereignty.