Ireland’s president, Catherine Connolly, has called Donald Trump abhorrent and an abuser of power. In his sole previous comment on Connolly, the US president seemed to think she was a man. Now that they are about to meet, Ireland is holding its breath.
Trump is to fly into Dublin on Saturday morning for a two-day visit centred on golf but, before making it to his beloved greens, protocol obliges him to meet a woman who has given every impression of loathing him.
A courtesy call to Áras an Uachtaráin, the Irish president’s official residence and workplace in the city’s Phoenix Park, has left the government anxious and the media reaching for popcorn. “What could possibly go wrong?” ask headlines.
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.
The taoiseach, Micheál Martin, said he had no concerns “at all” about the encounter but one senior official said the government was on tenterhooks. “We need to get him [Trump] in the Áras, then out of the Áras. We’ll breathe easier after,” they said.
Before winning the Irish presidency – a ceremonial post – last year, Connolly was an independent leftwing member of parliament for Galway who protested Trump’s ۲۰۱۹ visit and more recently assailed him over his positions and policies on Gaza, Iran and other issues. “If we are going to act as an independent sovereign state, a neutral republic, we must use our voice to speak to power and the abuse of power by president Trump,” she said.
Asked in March about the criticism, Trump replied: “He’s lucky I exist.”
Trump is now to meet Connolly – and Martin in a separate meeting – before heading to his golf resort in Doonbeg, County Clare, which is hosting the Irish Open.
Heavy security around the Phoenix Park and Doonbeg will insulate the US president from protests, including a “No welcome for Trump” demonstration that is expected to draw thousands to central Dublin on Saturday afternoon.
Some hope Connolly will speak for them when she meets Trump behind closed doors. “She should speak truth to power,” Rosie O’Donnell, the US comedian who moved to Ireland after Trump won a second term, told the Irish Independent. “I don’t think she should drop what she believes in to be polite to a madman. He is like a mad king that has destroyed the country.”
Leftwing parties that supported Connolly’s presidential run urged the former barrister to “find a way” to convey criticism without causing a diplomatic storm. Trump has expressed affection for the emerald isle but also wants American tech and pharmaceutical firms to move jobs and taxes from Ireland to the US, a scenario that could devastate Irish state finances.
During her election campaign Connolly promised to heed constraints of the office, which is largely symbolic and has no responsibility for foreign policy. She also said that if asked she would meet Trump.
“That implies that it’s not to meet him in order to berate him,” said Bobby McDonagh, an former Irish ambassador to the UK and EU. “She’ll have an opportunity to have a chat with president Trump and make some gentle points reflective of Irish values. I expect it to go smoothly.”
Connolly can emulate Martin who discreetly rebutted some of Trump’s opinions during a visit to the White House, said McDonagh. “He had the emotional intelligence and experience to do it in a way that didn’t provoke any reaction.”
The six-time major champion golfer Rory McIlroy said he and other competitors at Doonbeg would focus on the game, not politics. “It’s going to be different with him being here but we’re here to play a golf tournament and it’s a good golf course so we’ll keep our heads down and play,” McIlroy said.
