Ireland says planned Trump visit in November cancelled

Donald and Melania Trump visiting the site of a new memorial in Pennsylvania where Flight 93 crashed during the Sept 11 attacks. PHOTO: AFP

DUBLIN (REUTERS) - Donald Trump has cancelled a planned trip to Ireland in November that would have been his first as US president, citing scheduling issues, the Irish government said on Tuesday (Sept 11).

The White House in August announced that Trump would travel to Ireland for the first time as president as part of a trip to attend the Nov 11 commemoration in Paris of the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I.

A number of groups announced they would stage protests during the Trump visit, in which the president had been expected to visit the capital Dublin and his golf resort in the west coast village of Doonbeg.

"The proposed visit of the US President is postponed," an Irish government spokesman told Reuters.

"The US side has cited scheduling reasons."

The White House, however, later said that a final decision on the trip had not been made.

"The President will travel to Paris in November as previously announced. We are still finalising whether
Ireland will be a stop on that trip. As details are confirmed we will let you know," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who as a Cabinet minister opposed extending an invitation to Trump before changing his mind when he became prime minister, had described the trip as coming "a little bit out of the blue", but said the office of the US president must be respected.

Ireland's opposition Green Party, which had opposed the trip, described the announcement and following cancellation as "erratic".

Varadkar, who as a Cabinet minister opposed extending an invitation to Trump before changing his mind when he became prime minister, described the trip as coming "a little bit out of the blue", but said the office of the US president must be respected.

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