‘War and genocide can never be accepted’, Connolly tells TrumpThe Irish president said the ‘deep connection’ between the US and Ireland ‘allows us to speak openly to one another’.Catherine Connolly and Donald Trump at Aras an Uachtarain (Tony Maxwell/Maxwells/PA)PA MediaJonathan McCambridge3 minutes ago
Irish President Catherine Connolly said she conveyed to Donald Trump that “normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted” in her meeting with the US president.
Ms Connolly, a left-wing independent TD before she was elected president, had previously accused Mr Trump of being “volatile” and “acting like a bully”, and has been critical of his actions in the Middle East.
Mr Trump told reporters on Saturday that the war he launched against Iran will end “very soon” and that the price of oil will “come tumbling down”.
Following their meeting on Saturday morning, Ms Connolly said the “deep connection” between the US and Ireland “allows us to speak openly to one another”.
The president said she told Mr Trump that the Irish people would support those who “build a shared peace in all those parts of the world currently suffering from such horrific war and violence”.
US President Donald Trump views the guard of honour outside Áras an Uachtaráin (James Manning/PA)PA Wire
In a statement following the meeting at Áras an Uachtaráin, Ms Connolly said: “We are in a world facing the existential threat posed by war and climate change, both of which are inextricably interlinked.
“I conveyed the strong view of the Irish people that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted.
“As a country which has suffered famine, colonisation and the violence of the Troubles, but also the importance of the long and challenging road to peace, I emphasised the unique insight which Irish people can bring to the resolution of conflict.”
Mr Trump was presented with a St Brigid’s Cross – recognised as a symbol of peace – during his brief courtesy call with Ms Connolly.
He was also given a collection of poems which contained the famous Michael Longley sonnet Ceasefire.
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Considering Irish President Ms Connolly was a long-standing critic of Mr Trump before she took up office, the choice of gifts may be considered as pointed.
The visit of the US president to Áras an Uachtaráin was always likely to be one of the most scrutinised parts of his two-day visit to Ireland.
For his part, Mr Trump mistakenly referred to Ms Connolly as “he” when asked about critical comments she made against him in relation to the US-Israeli war against Iran in the Oval Office on St Patrick’s Day last year.
Considering the context, the meeting of the two presidents on Saturday morning was always likely to present her most substantial diplomatic test since assuming office.
As it was, the engagement, heavy on ceremony, passed off without major incident.
Mr Trump’s substantial cavalcade rolled through Phoenix Park shortly after 9am.
President Catherine Connolly welcomes US President Donald Trump as he arrives (James Manning/PA)PA Wire
He emerged from his car to shake Ms Connolly’s hand before the pair smiled while briefly posing for photographs.
Ms Connolly stood at the end of the steps in the Portico to greet Mr Trump and then led the American president down the Francini corridor and into the state reception room.
Mr Trump was invited to sign the visitors’ book in the state reception room.
The pair then proceeded to the drawing room and into a hallway where Mr Trump was introduced to dignitaries.
They then went back outside, where Mr Trump stood to attention while the national anthems of the US and Ireland were played.
The US president then inspected a guard of honour before Ms Connolly introduced him to a delegation of Irish dignitaries including Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly and Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy.
Mr Trump then introduced Ms Connolly to his delegation, including his son Donald Jr and some of his grandsons.
The two presidents were then escorted to the state drawing room in the Aras for a courtesy call, which lasted slightly more than 15 minutes.
As Mr Trump left the Aras to continue with his engagements elsewhere in Phoenix Park, he briefly stopped to answer questions from reporters.
While he spoke about oil prices, he did not respond to questions about his conversations with Ms Connolly.
However, he did leave a simple message in the visitors book. It read: “A GREAT HONOR TO BE HERE THANK YOU”.
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