U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants Northern Ireland to break away from the United Kingdom and unite with the Republic of Ireland. The remarks are drawing wide attention because Trump, who has stirred diplomatic controversy several times by weighing in on other countries' sovereignty and territorial questions, has now departed from the neutral stance the United States has maintained for decades on Irish unification.
According to Reuters and other outlets, Trump told reporters after meeting Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin in Dublin on the 12th that he does not want to cause trouble but would like to see Ireland unified. He said unification is something that will happen eventually, adding that if it is going to happen anyway, it could just as well happen now.
The island of Ireland was divided into north and south in 1921 after long British rule. Most of the island gained independence as what is now the Republic of Ireland, while the northeastern region, home to a large pro-British Protestant population, remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland. Thousands of people were killed over the following three decades as nationalists seeking unification with Ireland, groups wanting to remain in the United Kingdom and British security forces clashed in Northern Ireland.
The United States played a decisive role in mediating that conflict and bringing about the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement. The accord established the principle that Northern Ireland's status is to be decided by the consent of its residents rather than by outside intervention. Successive U.S. presidents have backed the agreement and taken a neutral position, but Trump has instead signaled support for unification.
Trump has repeatedly caused friction by touching on the sovereignty and territorial issues of other countries, including allies. He recently posted a map showing Iceland and surrounding areas covered by the U.S. flag, prompting the Icelandic government to summon the American ambassador. He has also repeatedly said he wants to annex Canada as the "51st state" of the United States, sharply worsening relations between the two countries.
The latest comments appear to have reignited debate over Northern Irish unification. The British government, however, has said a referendum on unification is not currently under consideration.
Some observers see the remarks as aimed at the November midterm elections. The BBC noted that about one-tenth of the U.S. population identifies as being of Irish descent, and said that because some of those voters support unification, the possibility that electoral calculations played a part cannot be ruled out.
