US President Donald Trump is willing to open his arms to anyone, but also ready to go head to head with anyone, his son has said ahead of his expected visit to Ireland.
Eric Trump was speaking ahead of President Trump touching down in the Irish capital Dublin on Saturday morning amid a major security operation.
In an interview with Irish national broadcaster at Trump International Golf Club in Doonbeg, Co Clare, on Friday, he confirmed his father is “definitely coming”.
A number of protests are expected at President Trump’s presence in Ireland at the weekend, and he is to meet with Irish president Catherine Connolly who previously took part in a protest against him during a visit to Ireland in 2019.
Asked how he thought the meeting with Ms Connolly will go, Mr Trump said: “Honestly, I leave it to them.
“I have seen so much political nonsense over the last 12 years where one day two people hate each other and the next day the two people are hugging.
“What I’ll say is my father is willing to open his arms to anyone, and he is also willing to go head to head with anyone. You’ve seen that in the Oval Office and around the world.
“As a person who loves his country, do I hope that the meeting goes exceptionally well, and is that what I expect, of course. That’s normally the respect that you have if a person goes to the US or if another foreign leader comes here, that’s normally the respect that they have for one another.
“It’s pretty rare that it goes off the rails, so I don’t expect it to.”
Mr Trump also said he believes some protesters are “paid to protest”.
“I’ve dealt with so many of these protests over the years where most of the time half the people are paid to actually protest,” he said, adding he could give “plenty” of examples of this in the United States.
He also dismissed comments by entertainer Rosie O’Donnell that President Trump “won’t get any welcome” in Ireland.
“Rosie O’Donnell is irrelevant, she has no career, she has no following, she left America because generally speaking no one liked her, I’m not really sure if she is the spokesperson for the Irish people,” he said.
“Go down to Morrissey’s tavern in Doonbeg and hear from a real Irish person as to whether or not they like President Trump and the Trump family, go have them attest to what we’ve done for the country and what we’ve invested in the country and the love and respect that our family has always shown them.”
He also described Ireland as one of his favourite places on earth, recalled his childhood nanny who hailed from Co Cavan and visiting with her.
“It (the golf resort) needed a lot of money, and now we’re the largest employer on the west side of Ireland … I put every ounce of my heart and soul into rebuilding it and making it incredible,” he said.
“I’ve always loved the Irish people, there’s always been an incredible warmth to them, when you smell the peat burning, and I know that’s become controversial for the eco-terrorists out there.
“The love between the two nations, it’s truly one of my favourite places on earth, especially Trump Doonbeg, it is a place I adore.”
However, Mr Trump criticised “how long” it takes to “get things done” in Ireland, with reference to a plan to build a ballroom at Doonbeg.
“I think the one criticism I have of this country, and really of Europe in general, is it’s very hard to get anything done and it turns off a lot of investment,” he said.
“Building a ballroom for a beautiful hotel should not be controversial, and when you look at the hundreds of millions of dollars of economic impact between the cost of the ballroom which would be 20-30-40million dollars easily to build, and the jobs.
“It hurts economic investment in the entire nation and somebody should intervene and say enough is enough.”
He added he would “love to” build a Trump tower in Dublin “at the right time at some point in the future”.
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