Arabic version: تصريحات ترامب بشأن إيرلندا تثير تساؤلات حول السياسة الأميركية

According to BBC News, US President Donald Trump’s comments during a two-day visit to Ireland about wanting to see a unified Ireland prompted questions over whether they signalled a change in US policy or were off-the-cuff remarks.

Trump repeated his view after answering reporters’ questions, raising the subject early in a speech at the US ambassador’s residence. The address, billed as a 20-minute speech to Irish and Irish-American business leaders, lasted about twice that length and focused largely on US domestic matters.

Mick Mulvaney, a former Republican congressman and Trump’s special envoy to Northern Ireland during his first term, said the remarks did not represent a shift in US foreign policy. He said the United States remained committed to the Good Friday Agreement. Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle also said there was bipartisan support for the agreement and that this would not change.

The article said Trump’s wider speech included praise for his own record on illegal immigration, deals and defence production, as well as renewed criticism of what he sees as insufficient UK support for his military operation in Iran. It also raised the possibility that his remarks could have been aimed at a US audience rather than those gathered in Dublin.

With November’s midterm elections approaching and Republicans under pressure over the president’s policies, Irish-American voters could be a potential audience. About one tenth of the US population claims Irish heritage, though the group is not a single voting bloc. The report noted that some Irish-American independent or swing voters support a unified Ireland, while political leaders in Ireland hoped attention would turn to golf the following day.