A NEW opinion poll shows that a majority of the Irish public does not support the idea of inviting Donald Trump for a state visit to Ireland.
According to research conducted by Ireland Thinks for the Irish Independent, 74% of respondents said they were against such an invitation.
Just 20% were in favour, while 6% expressed no opinion. Participants were asked whether the Irish government should officially invite Trump for a formal visit.
Trump was recently in Scotland, where he played golf and met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to finalise a trade agreement.
During his presidency, he also made private visits to his golf property in Doonbeg, County Clare, and met with then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport during a brief stopover in 2019.
He spent a night at his resort in Doonbeg on that occasion.
The Irish public’s perception of Trump stands in stark contrast to the warm welcomes historically given to previous US presidents.
In 1995, Bill Clinton drew a crowd of 80,000 in Dublin’s College Green.
A similar reception greeted Barack Obama in the same location during his 2011 visit.
Former President Obama and his wife, Michelle, have now been invited by Dublin’s current Lord Mayor, Ray McAdam, to formally accept the Freedom of the City next month.
The invitation includes a ceremonial reception at the Mansion House.
In his letter to the Obamas, Mayor McAdam praised the former president’s leadership during a turbulent period in American history, noting his “dignified and hopeful” approach to governance that inspired many globally, including in Ireland.