Donald Trump Dubbed 'Totally Incoherent' After Going on a Rambling Tirade About Irish Unification

Donald Trump was branded 'totally incoherent' by an independent US journalist after delivering a rambling, wide-ranging speech in Dublin on Saturday 12 September, during the first day of a two-day visit to Ireland.

Speaking at Deerfield Residence, the official home of the US ambassador, Trump jumped between Irish reunification, the 2020 election, the war with Iran, immigration and crime in Washington. Journalist Aaron Rupar later criticised the address on X, calling Trump 'totally incoherent' and describing the speech as a rant 'like a total lunatic'.

The backlash began hours earlier, when Trump departed from the traditionally neutral stance taken by previous US presidents on Irish reunification during a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Farmleigh House. The president said it would be 'fantastic' if Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland were to unify, predicted it would happen eventually and said he would 'love to see it unified.'

The issue remains politically sensitive because Northern Ireland's constitutional status is governed by the consent provisions of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Protests against Trump's visit had already been planned in Dublin, Doonbeg and near Shannon Airport, while his comments also drew political criticism.

Later, Trump addressed guests at Deerfield Residence in Dublin's Phoenix Park, where US embassy personnel, business leaders, politicians and other invited guests had gathered. Trump spoke for about 35 minutes, ranging across domestic and international subjects as well as Ireland itself. The Journal reported that the address lasted about 35 minutes and moved between trade, the military, crime and immigration alongside his prepared remarks on US–Irish links.

Donald Trump Speech in Ireland Sparks Online Backlash

Trump opened with remarks about US ambassador Ed Walsh and the perceived appeal of an Irish posting. 'Everybody wants to be in Ireland. It's a real easy ambassadorship. All he has to do is play golf all day, and he's doing a great job,' Trump said, prompting laughter in the room.

Trump then turned to domestic US politics, repeating his false claim that the 2020 US presidential election had been 'rigged'. He went on to discuss the war with Iran, saying he preferred to describe it as a 'military conflict' rather than a war.

He also claimed his administration had made Washington safer, portraying the US capital as a city he had helped to restore. The speech ranged well beyond US–Irish relations, which is one reason clips of the event later drew puzzled reactions online.

He also used the Dublin platform to criticise European countries' immigration policies, arguing that the United States had taken a tougher line. 'We got them the hell out,' Trump told the room, without specifying whom he meant. Turning to Europe, he added: 'I hate to see what's happening on immigration. Wow! That immigration, what you're doing to yourselves. You're just killing yourselves.'

Some social media users commenting on clips said the audience appeared restless as Trump moved deeper into his familiar set of US talking points. Others simply questioned why a diplomatic reception in Dublin had turned into what sounded, on video at least, like one of his standard political riffs.

Irish Unity, 'Vicious' People and a 'Totally Incoherent' Rant

Trump then shifted to the topic that has defined many Irish reactions to his visit, praising the warmth of Irish hospitality while edging back towards his unity comments. He said he had 'heard about for years' how friendly Irish people were. 'They say you can't generalise about groups of people and countries. But you can!' he told the crowd.

He went on to describe Irish people as friendly, but also possessing what he called their 'viciousness and toughness'. 'You are some of the most vicious bastards I've ever done business with,' Trump said, drawing more laughter from the audience. 'But when you want to be nice, there's nobody nicer, okay?' It was one of those classic Trump lines that some in the room seemed to take as rough-edged praise, even as it raised eyebrows elsewhere.

Clips from the Deerfield address soon appeared on X. Aaron Rupar, an independent journalist who runs the newsletter Public Notice, shared one video and wrote: ''They say you can't generalize about groups of people. But you can!' – get a load of how Trump ranted and raved for half an hour like a total lunatic during his speech in Ireland. Totally incoherent, brain flitting from topic to topic.' Several replies to Rupar's post were similarly critical, with one user asking: 'What in the name of all that is holy is he rambling on about?'

Other users also criticised the address, including some who described Trump as an embarrassment and complained that he had brought his usual American political rants to Ireland. The tone of the online response was hardly scientific polling, but it underscored how quickly a speech aimed at a room of diplomats and business figures can become viral fodder once a few striking clips are pulled out.

Donald Trump Stands by 'Very Cool' Irish Unity Remark

Earlier on Saturday, speaking about the prospect of Northern Ireland and the Republic unifying, Trump had insisted he did not want to 'cause any problem' but added: 'I will tell you, I'd love to see it unified. It's going to happen eventually.' For Irish and British officials used to extremely careful language on the constitutional question, that was a blunt intervention.

Back at Deerfield Residence that evening, Trump appeared to acknowledge that his earlier answer had sparked controversy. Addressing the room, he said there was no good way for a visiting US president to talk about Irish unity, even as he repeated his view that it would be a 'very cool thing' if Northern Ireland eventually unified with the Republic of Ireland. 'No matter how well you say it, there's no good answer,' he said, joking that 'half the room' might clear out depending on where people stood on the issue.

Reuters reported no change in Trump's position later on Saturday, and there was no sign that he or his staff intended to walk back the unity comments. What lingered, instead, was the spectacle of a president using a Dublin diplomatic reception to run through his greatest political hits, then watching as those 35 minutes were boiled down into a few wild soundbites on everyone's feeds.