Editorial: Is Trump helping or hindering Irish unity?

So Donald Trump is a lot less orange than we thought!

The controversial and much-protested US President revealed himself to be in favour of Irish unity during his recent 2 day visit last weekend. It was reported that more than 10,000 people marched in the capital to show their opposition to him.

Donald Trump said he would love to see a united Ireland during a meeting with An Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Farmleigh House. He had a courtesy call with the Irish President Catherine Connolly at the Áras an Uachtaráin and travelled to Clare for the Amgen Irish Open golf tournament.

During his meeting with Micheál Martin in Dublin, Trump said a united Ireland would be a “fantastic thing”. “Now the UK would have something to say about it obviously but I think it would be a great thing, I mean, how can it be bad?”

He added said a united Ireland would happen eventually and that the Taoiseach was “the right man over here to get it moving”.

The DUP were predictably dismissive of Trump’s comments although senior members have supported him in the past including the likes of their MPs Ian Paisley Junior, Sammy Wilson and Paul Girvan.

It seems all too possible though, that he’s confusing Irish republicanism with Irish Republicans or Irish members of his Republican party.

Whether you agree with his comments on Irish unity or not, his lack of care with his words tend to cause trouble wherever he lands. He’s often ill-informed and speaks without thinking which can cause issues for his hosts as well as his own administration.

Given how Trump is so often wrong on almost everything he pontificates, are Trump’s words helpful or unhelpful?

Of course, Trump’s comments do not signal a change of US foreign policy and they have not brought a border poll closer into prospect now either.

The new British prime minister Andy Burnham recently said a referendum on a united Ireland “is off the table”, during his first official visit to Northern Ireland.

“I'm here, as I said earlier, to listen, and I will take a collaborative approach but some issues will be off the table, and that is one issue that will be off the table,” he told reporters in Belfast.

Mr Trump refused the opportunity to row back on his comments, instead doubling down on them. However, are his comments aimed at an Irish-American audience back home as the Republican Party prepares to go to the polls for the Congressional midterm elections in November? The Republicans are likely to do quite poorly.

As ever with Donald Trump, it’s impossible to know but it’s better not to take anything at face value!