Key events
The US president arrived in Dublin on the controversially gifted Boeing aircraft given to him by the Qatari royal family.
The $۴۰۰m ‘palace in the sky’ was converted for presidential use, but questions remain over how well equipped it is to protect the president from potential threats. During a trip to Turkey in July, Trump was reportedly moved off the aircraft after a possible Iranian threat, while other senior officials and journalists remained on board.
As the Guardian’s Joseph Gedeon reports, the circumstances surrounding the incident were rather dramatic:
It later emerged that Trump had in fact been spirited away via a catering truck on to a separate, older aircraft after officials learned of a possible Iranian threat in Ankara, leaving the plane he had boarded to fly on as a decoy. Aboard the original, possibly targeted flight were the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio; the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent; several senior aides; and the traveling press pool – the latter, who were definitely not told about the threat, were asked to keep their window shades closed.
Read the full report here:
Trump landed in Dublin just moments ago, disembarking from Air Force One and being greeted by the tánaiste (deputy prime minister), Simon Harris. Here are some pictures from the newswires:
Trump begins two-day visit to Ireland
Donald Trump has touched down in Dublin this morning for a two-day visit to Ireland, where he will hold talks with the Irish president and prime minister, and play golf.
The weekend visit coincides with the Irish Open, a major golf tournament taking place at the beachfront Doonberg golf course owned by the US president.
He will meet with president Catherine Connolly, who has previously been highly critical of Trump, not least because he mistakenly referred to her as a man. As the Guardian’s Irish correspondent, Rory Carroll, reports, the meeting has prompted headlines asking: “What could possibly go wrong?”
Many in Ireland are rooting for Connolly to let rip at Trump for his policies and rhetoric on immigrants and the Middle East. Others hope she will stifle any criticisms to avoid provoking a visitor who could upend Ireland’s economy.”
Read the full report here:
Trump is then scheduled to meet the taoiseach Micheál Martin, with whom he has a more cordial relationship, before heading to the US ambassador’s official residence at Deerfield to speak with American and Irish business leaders. Then it’s off to his golf resort at Doonbeg for the night, before another day of golf on Sunday and his return to Washington.
The visit has left some Dubliners distinctly unimpressed. “He’s causing mayhem in this city because he wants to go down to Doonbeg and play golf,” taxi driver Christopher Fox told the Associated Press. “The world’s in turmoil and this fella’s down playing golf.”
We’ll be following the action throughout the day and bringing you all the latest from the fairway, the political stage and everywhere in between.
