US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump is set to visit Ireland next month.
TheJournal.ie understands that he will be in the country for a number of days at the beginning of June.
After meeting Trump in the Oval Office just prior to St Patrick’s Day, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that the president could visit Ireland as early as June.
Trump is due to visit the UK and France at the start of June for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Sources say he is expected to arrive in Ireland, where he will stay at his Doonbeg resort in Co Clare, on Wednesday June 5th.
It’s expected he will then head to France for further WW2 commemorative events the following day, before returning to overnight once again in Doonbeg.
A US advance team is expected in the country in the coming days, and an official confirmation of the itinerary is also expected.
It’s expected arrangements will also be made for the two leaders to play golf, sources said. Government officials here are said to be exploring the possibility of hosting a meeting at Dromoland Castle in Co Clare.
It’s understood initial security arrangements have also been made on the Irish side.
As First Lady Melania Trump is due to accompany her husband on the UK and France visits, it’s expected she will also travel to Ireland.
Last November, Trump was due to visit Clare and Dublin.
In September, the status of the visit was the source of much confusion with the Irish government and the White House offering different answers as to whether it would go ahead.
Some clarity was finally provided when the White House informed the Irish ambassador in the US that the November trip had been cancelled for “scheduling reasons”.
A spokesperson for the Irish government said President Trump has previously expressed a desire to visit Ireland, but the Irish government has received no confirmation as to when or whether that visit will take place.
Asked about the visit by reporters today, Health Minister Simon Harris said he respects the office of the President of the United States, but added their political views differ.
“I disagree with Donald Trump on an awful lot of what he stands for, but he is the President of the United States, we don’t elect their president, just like they don’t elect our president or our Taoiseach. So, the President of the United States has every right to visit Ireland, and the Taoiseach obviously extended that invite to him.
“But a respectful relationship involves telling people the truth about how you feel, about how you feel about their position on LGBT issues, how you feel about their position on reproductive health, how you feel about their position on climate change, how you feel about their position in how you respond to the refugee crisis and the likes across the world so the Taoiseach has never been one to shy away from making his view known and I am sure their will be opportunities if President Trump does visit,” said Harris.
- With reporting from Sean Murray, Christina Finn and Michelle Hennessy
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