DOMINANT ANGLE
Jakarta questions the mixing of presidential and commercial hats in this Irish escapade, where a diplomatic outing on reunification coincides with a golf weekend on the course that Donald Trump himself owns in Doonbeg.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Trump has called a potential Irish reunification "fantastic", saying it "will happen", during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin in Dublin.
- 02
CNN Indonesia notes that the two-day visit is primarily motivated by the golf tournament held on the course Trump owns in Doonbeg, blurring his presidential role and business interests.
- 03
The office of British Prime Minister Andy Burnham responded that there was no public majority for a referendum and that no new vote would take place until the situation changes.
ANALYSIS
Jakarta, September 14, 2026. Indonesia's CNN and Tempo report on Donald Trump's two-day visit to Ireland, a trip presented by both media outlets as initially motivated by the golf tournament held on the course he owns in Doonbeg, on the Atlantic coast, before including a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin in Dublin. CNN Indonesia puts it bluntly: "Many consider the visit to be blurring Trump's role between president and businessman."
After meeting with Micheal Martin, Trump stated his desire to see a unified Ireland: "I don't want to create problems, but I really want to see it united," adding that it would eventually happen and be "something extraordinary." He specified that the United Kingdom would have a say in the matter.
Tempo notes that Trump also commented on the war with Iran and the trade conflict with Canada during the same trip, confirming that the meeting with Irish leaders was added to an agenda dominated by golf. The British government reacted quickly: Prime Minister Andy Burnham's office made it known that there was no public majority in favor of a referendum on the issue, and no new vote would be held until that changed.
CNN Indonesia puts the statement into historical context: the island of Ireland has been divided since 1921 between the Republic in the south and Northern Ireland, attached to the United Kingdom. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which ended three decades of sectarian violence that claimed around 3,000 lives, provides that a referendum can be held if the British government deems that a majority of Northern Ireland's inhabitants would be in favor. Both articles note that previous US presidents had avoided this sensitive topic, making Trump's comment unusual.
