Trump Touches Down in Dublin, Greeted by Elites as Protesters Mobilize Against Corporate Interests
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Donald Trump arrived in Ireland Saturday, meeting establishment officials before heading to his luxury golf resort for the Irish Open, while grassroots protests are planned in Dublin and elsewhere against his administration’s policies and business ventures.
President Donald Trump landed in Dublin on Saturday morning, welcomed by Irish finance minister Simon Harris, foreign minister Helen McEntee, U.S. Ambassador Edward Walsh, and Irish ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason—an assembly of establishment figures emblematic of the cozy relationship between political elites and corporate power. Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. and daughter-in-law Bettina, both deeply involved in the Trump Organization’s global business empire, also greeted officials after disembarking.
Trump met briefly with President Catherine Connolly, a symbolic gesture, before heading to Áras an Uachtaráin for a courtesy call. There, when questioned about international tensions in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, Trump dismissed concerns with a vague, “Everything will work out just fine. It’s all going to work out fine,” reflecting his administration’s habitual disregard for complex global issues.
This visit is Trump’s first to Ireland as president since June 2019, and once again, he is using the trip to promote his private business interests, traveling to the western village of Doonbeg to attend the Irish Open at his own golf resort—a glaring conflict of interest that has drawn criticism from ethics watchdogs.
A White House official stated that Trump would meet with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and address business leaders at the U.S. ambassador’s residence, focusing on bilateral economic cooperation, opportunities for U.S. industry, and so-called ‘shared international concerns’—language often used to justify neoliberal policies that benefit multinational corporations at the expense of workers and the environment.
Irish authorities have implemented extensive security measures, including closing parts of Phoenix Park and organizing a motorcade to official residences, prioritizing the safety of the powerful while ordinary citizens are left to protest in the streets. Demonstrations are planned in central Dublin, Doonbeg, and at Shannon Airport, a historic site of anti-U.S. protests against militarism and imperialism.
Eric Trump, speaking to Irish broadcaster RTÉ, boasted that the Doonbeg course is the largest employer in the area, urging locals to support the Trump family’s investments—an appeal that ignores the broader social and environmental impacts of such developments.