A senior Irish politician has said that President Donald Trump is not welcome in Ireland, citing what he described as the chaos the U.S. president has caused around the world.
Labour Dublin spokesperson Aodhán Ó Ríordáin MEP has strongly rejected Trump’s anticipated visit to Ireland in September, listing several reasons why he believes the president should not be welcomed in the country.
Trump is expected to visit the Emerald Isle for at least two days, with his trip expected to include stops in Dublin and County Clare. He is also expected to attend the Irish Open golf tournament at his course in Doonbeg.
Ó Ríordáin said Trump is not welcome in Dublin for a number of reasons, including his domestic and international policy agenda. He said Ireland should not forget the actions taken by Trump and his administration to undermine the European Union and international law.
The Labour politician urged Ireland to “take a stand” and said the country should not roll out the “red carpet” for the president during his anticipated visit to Dublin.
Ó Ríordáin continued by pointing to what he described as Trump’s months-long “illegal war against Iran,” saying it has “caused chaos in the world and an energy crisis that is costing Irish people millions in higher prices.”
He also criticized what he called Trump’s “unconditional support” for Israel’s “war and genocide against the Palestinian people.”
The politician then pointed to Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and accused the U.S. president of “undermining” Ukraine.
Ó Ríordáin also referred to Trump’s ongoing threats to take control of Greenland for military reasons, identifying those threats as another reason why he believes Trump should not be accepted in Dublin.
He further accused the Trump administration of “directly meddling in European politics and supporting far-right parties.”
Ó Ríordáin also accused Trump of creating “economic chaos” around the world.
“The Trump trade war has caused economic chaos and damaged Irish and EU businesses, while using threats to try and stop the regulation of U.S. multinationals,” Ó Ríordáin said.
He also described the sanctions imposed by the United States against officials at the International Criminal Court as “disgraceful and chilling.”
“This is just a sample of the outrageous international actions Trump has actioned and inspired through his time in politics, and we should not normalize or tolerate this behavior,” Ó Ríordáin added.
He went on to criticize Trump’s domestic political agenda, pointing to what he described as the “brutal tactics of ICE against people from a migrant background.”
“Through his political campaigns, Trump has deployed racism, homophobia, and misogyny, and shown total disregard for the law and democratic norms, and I am proud to have campaigned against him and his toxic politics since 2016,” Ó Ríordáin continued.
Meanwhile, sources have reportedly revealed that Trump’s delegation could contain around 1,000 people.
The president’s party is reportedly expected to include several aides, senior politicians, Secret Service officers, military specialists and several hundred members of the media.
“He is bringing a huge amount of people with him,” one source confirmed.
In 2018, reports suggested that Trump brought around 1,000 people with him during his trip to the United Kingdom. Irish sources have now said that gardaí, Ireland’s national police force, are anticipating a similar turnout for Trump’s expected visit.
