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President Trump welcomes Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on the occasion of the St. Patrick's Day reception at the White House in Washington on March 15, 2018. REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst / File Photo
Adam Taylor
Foreign journalist who writes on a variety of topics
President Trump has canceled a planned trip to Ireland, the Irish government said on Tuesday as part of protests against its climate policies, international relations and the treatment of immigrants, women and minorities.
The visit was scheduled for November, when Trump will travel to Europe to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.
"We can confirm that the proposed visit of the US President is postponed," said Laura Durkan, spokeswoman for Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. "Americans have cited reasons for scheduling".
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that Trump was still planning to travel to Paris. "We are still finalizing whether Ireland will be stopping on this trip," she said. "As the details are confirmed, we will let you know."
The cancellation was reported for the first time by the Irish Independent newspaper, which noted that political parties, including Labor and the Greens, had planned to protest the November 12 visit to Dublin. Other events were planned in Dublin and in other Irish cities.
Trump planned to spend a day in the Irish capital before heading to a Trump golf course in Doonbeg, County Clare.
[Protests planned for Trump visit to Ireland]
The White House had announced the visit on August 31, taking Varadkar by surprise.
"It was a bit random," Varadkar said in an interview with RTE Radio One earlier this month. "We only knew a few days ago that he would seize the opportunity," he said.
At the announcement of the trip, the Irish Labor Party tweeted that Ireland was "an open and tolerant nation. Trump's values are not our values and there should be no welcome mat for a man from his worldview. "
The tweet included a photo whose caption said "The invitation to Trump is useless, unwelcome and reckless".
Labor Party leader Brendan Howlin tweeted that Trump "was not a friend of democracy or human rights".
"We will always be firm friends of the American people, but Ireland will not accept a man with Trump's record of discrimination, sexism and lies," he said.
Meanwhile, Russian media reported on Tuesday that Trump could meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same European trip that included the planned visit to Ireland.
The meeting would apparently be on the sidelines of the Armistice Day ceremonies of the First World War on November 11.
"An invitation has been made, which is envisaged," said Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin advisor, quoted by the Tass news agency. "I can only say that Trump accepted the invitation. That's all; the meeting is under consideration because there is still time, "he said.
The meeting would be a follow-up to the independent summit between Trump and Putin in July. This summit in Helsinki sparked many criticisms that Trump was deferential to Putin and did not challenge him about Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
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