Former US President Donald Trump is expected to visit Ireland next month just weeks after Joe Biden’s four-day visit to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement and to visit his ancestral hometowns in Mayo and Louth.
It is expected that Trump will land at Shannon Airport on the 3rd of May and stay for two nights at his luxury golf resort in Doonbeg, County Clare, however, there is no official confirmation as of yet.
The trip comes on the back of Joe Biden’s state visit which was heavily criticised by the former President. Speaking about Biden’s visit last month, Trump said “He's now in Ireland, he's not going to have a news conference... when the world is exploding. I own property in Ireland, I'm not going to Ireland.
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The world is exploding around us, you could end up in a third world war and this guy is going to be in Ireland.”
However, just weeks later, the 76-year-old is now expected to visit Ireland before moving on to his golf resorts in Aberdeen and Turnberry in Scotland later that week. The Irish Times has reported that the purpose of the visits will be to inspect his hotels.
Trump last visited Ireland in 2019 while he was still President. There were anti-Trump protests at the time, especially in Dublin where protestors raised an inflatable “Trump Baby” blimp at the Garden of Remembrance.
However, a local Fine Gael councillor in Clare, Gabriel Keating, told the Irish Independent, "A former American president coming to a little village like Doonbeg, where he has a business employing a few hundred people, is a good thing.”
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He added “Businesspeople will be delighted. Clare is the home of tourism.
“Controversy goes out the window when somebody comes to promote an area, which he will do. The fact he is coming will bring a lot of people. It’s great for business and great for the area.”
Trump purchased the Doonbeg property for $20 million in 2014 but it has since been valued at between $25 million and $50 million in statements as part of an ethics declaration of his assets as a declared candidate for the upcoming US presidential election next year.
Trump could very well face Joe Biden in a repeat of the 2020 US Presidential Election. This is despite currently facing court action in the United States.
Earlier this month, Trump pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records to hide damaging information ahead of the 2016 US presidential election.
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The visit also looks to be taking place despite saying he wouldn't come to Ireland, during the state visit of Joe Biden. Nonetheless, security plans are underway with American security personnel and An Garda Síochána.
Topics: Ireland, Politics, Donald Trump
Conor Paterson