LAST UPDATE | 6 Nov

TAOISEACH SIMON HARRIS has congratulated Donald Trump as the former US president secured his win in this year’s race for the White House. 

In a tweet this morning Harris said: “Congratulations to US President-elect @realDonaldTrump on your victory.

“The people of the United States have spoken and Ireland will work to deepen and strengthen the historic and unbreakable bonds between our people and our nations in the years ahead.”

In a statement released shortly afterwards he added: 

“The world faces many challenges and needs leadership to meet them. 

“With the US and Ireland’s shared commitment to democracy and international law, we can, and will, tackle these challenges.”

Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin said he looked forward to working with Trump and his administration “in a constructive manner, as we did during his previous administration”.

In a statement, Martin said that this year marks 100 years of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the US.
https://x.com/MichealMartinTD/status/1854084634264383746

“Ireland’s relationship with the United States draws its strength from our deep, historical people-to-people connections, the support of the US to peace on this Island, as well as our significant, and mutually beneficial, economic relationship,” he said.

“The high level of political bipartisan interest in Irish issues among US politicians and officials is, and will continue to be, invaluable. Regular, high level, political engagement, both with the new US administration and on both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill, will be a high priority for the Government.”

Martin also played down suggestions that a Trump victory would be negative for the Irish economy.

“President-elect Trump is not the first president-elect who promised to bring US companies back to the US,” he said on RTÉ’s News at One.

“The realities of world economics, the realities of the need to be close to markets and to access markets is a factor here, and the bottom line is, American companies, or global companies, they need presence in Europe,” he said.

Earlier this week, Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman said that a Trump victory would be “would be a disaster for the US, Ireland and the planet”.

Speaking on the result today, he took a slightly softer tone, saying he had “no doubt that Ireland will continue to have a close relationship with the United States.

“We cannot let this result undermine the significant progress that is being made in many countries such as Ireland to tackle the devastating impact of climate change.

“I would also like to extend my solidarity and support to the women in America whose reproductive rights have been curtailed in recent years, and for whom this result brings great uncertainty,” he said.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Ivana Bacik has described the result as “devastating”. 

“A Trump win spells disaster on so many fronts. For Ukraine, for Gaza, for Climate. For women’s rights, for migrant rights and for Europe,” she wrote in a social media post. 

“The US has made a choice – now the impact will be felt worldwide. Grim prospects ahead.”

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns similarly expressed disappointment at the result, citing concern for “women, people of colour and LGBTQ+ people under a Trump adminstration”.

“Trump’s foreign policy agenda will also be a disaster. He is an even bigger cheerleader of the genocide in Gaza than Biden. He will also cosy up to Putin and pull support from Ukraine,” she said.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy described the result as a slip “further into barbarism”, saying that both Trump and Harris supported a genocide, in reference to the Israeli campaign in Palestine and Lebanon.

The world slides deeper into barbarism, after an election where both candidates supported an ongoing genocide.

"Centrism" cannot stop far-right.

Only eco-socialism which inspires people with material improvements and liberation can.

Time to get organised.

— Paul Murphy 🏳️‍⚧️ (@paulmurphy_TD) November 6, 2024

Across the border, Social Democratic and Labour Party leader Claire Hanna echoed Bacik’s concerns, saying that the result raises “serious concern about what this means for the United States, Gaza, Ukraine and indeed the world”.

“Donald Trump has repeatedly shown himself as someone with little respect for most people or the high office that he once again holds. It’s very disheartening that his divisive brand of politics has been so widely endorsed, but we acknowledge the clarity of the election outcome,” she said.