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Donald Trump ‘s visit to Ireland should be respected, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said, although he admitted that the US president’s trip had come out of the blue.
The Irish prime minister said there was a standing invitation for any US president to come to Ireland, but the government had been unaware of Mr Trump’s plans to visit in November until a couple of days ago.
“There is an open invitation to the US president to visit Ireland at any time, I think they’ve all visited since Reagan, if not before and obviously there’s an open invitation for me, or any future taoiseach, to attend Washington in March,” Mr Varadkar told the Marty Squad on RTE Radio 1.
“We hadn’t known until just a couple of days ago that he was going to take the opportunity of his visit to Paris for the Armistice commemorations, commemorating a hundred years of the end of the First World War, to visit Dublin, and also he’s going to go to Doonbeg too.
“We’ve got to work out a programme and all the rest of it but I think any programme we will have will have to respect the fact that we will be inaugurating our own president on the 11th of November. We will have to make sure that we have enough time and space to commemorate the Armistice because bear in mind hundreds of thousands of Irish people, including a lot of people from this city, fought in the First World War.
“We need to make sure that’s appropriate and fits around that as well.”
The news of Mr Trump’s visit in November was immediately met by calls for protests by opposition parties and activists.
Mr Varadkar said he understood that many people in Ireland dislike Mr Trump, and said that he disagreed with many of his policies.
Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and puttingShow all 100 1 /100Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and US President Donald Trump walk to a joint news conference holding hands
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting People march holding anti-Trump signs in Edinburgh while the US. President is visiting Trump Turnberry Luxury Collection Resort in Scotland
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump depart from Glasgow Prestwick Airport
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting President Donald Trump waves whilst playing a round of golf at Trump Turnberry Luxury Collection Resort
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Trump blimpA giant balloon depicting US President Donald Trump as an orange baby is launched as protesters gather in the Meadows, after taking part in the Scotland United Against Trump march through the streets of Edinburgh
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting A Greenpeace protester flying a microlight passes over Donald Trump's resort in Turnberry
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump look at the media during their arrival on Air Force One at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Donald and Melania Trump listen to the Coldstream Guards, play the US national anthem next to the Queen
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting US President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May hold a joint press conference
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Demonstrators raise a six meter high effigy of Donald Trump
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting A six-meter high cartoon baby blimp of Donald Trump hovers next to the statue of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Demonstrators stand in front of a blimp portraying US. President Donald Trump, in Parliament Square
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting The Prime Minister hosts President Trump and First Lady Melania at a black tie dinner with business leaders at Blenheim Palace
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting An honour guard stands to receive US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting A giant 'Human Rights Nightmare' banner is unfurled by Amnesty International activists across the river Thames on Vauxhall Bridge to protest against the visit of US President Donald Trump
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting US President Donald Trump waves as he arrives in the UK
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting An armed police officier waits on the tarmac at Stansted Airport
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting US President Donald Trump and Melania Trump arrive at Stansted Airport
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Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Armed police await the arrival of US President Donald Trump at Stansted Airport
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“I know a lot of people dislike him,” he said. ”A lot of people object to him, a lot of people disagree with a lot of his policies, just as I do in fact, but he is the president of America. He is elected according to their rules, and the relationship between Ireland and the United States is so strong and so important, much more important than any Irish government or any US administration and I think we have to treat his office with the respect that it deserves.”
His comments came after it was announced that a giant balloon depicting Mr Trump as a baby is set to to join protests planned for the president’s visit .
British campaigners behind the baby balloon protest said the Irish trip was “an excellent opportunity” to troll the US leader again.
The six-metre high blimp – which shows the US president wearing a nappy and holding a smartphone – was first seen at anti-Trump protests in London while the president was in the UK for talks with Prime Minister Theresa May.
Press Association contributed to this report
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