Mixed reaction from Northern Ireland’s political leaders to Trump presidency

SDLP leader Claire Hanna expressed concern while TUV leader Jim Allister said the Republican was the better candidate.

Donald Trump is returning to the White House after victory in the US presidential election (PA) (PA Archive)

There has been a mixed reaction to the election of Donald Trump as US president by political leaders in Northern Ireland.

The former president was elected for his second non-consecutive term in the White House after defeating current vice-president Kamala Harris.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson congratulated Mr Trump.

“Elections can be divisive, as this election has been, but the conclusion has been decisive,” he said.

“The American people have given a strong mandate to President Trump to serve as the 47th president. I congratulate him, the vice-president elect JD Vance, and their team for achieving what has rightly been described as the greatest political comeback of all time.

“In President Trump’s last term, the door of the White House was open, and indeed many regarded his presidency as one of balance and fairness regarding our own local political divisions.

“I trust he adopts the same approach to the 47th presidency as he did the 45th, and the ties between the US and Northern Ireland remain strong. I wish him well.”

UUP leader Mike Nesbitt also congratulated President Trump.

He said: “With America preparing to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its independence in 2026, there is a unique opportunity for the President-elect to celebrate, considering his family ties, the profound contribution people from these islands made to shaping the United States, particularly through the two massive waves of immigration from this island, by the Ulster Scots in the 1600s and what became the Irish Americans in the 1800s.”

However SDLP leader Claire Hanna said there is “serious concern” about what Mr Trump’s election will mean for the US.

“My thoughts today are largely with people in the United States who are fearful about what this might mean for their future,” she said.

“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.

“There is serious concern about what this means for the United States, Gaza, Ukraine and indeed the world. In each, the most vulnerable will likely bear the brunt of the decisions the Trump administration will take.”

TUV leader Jim Allister said however that he believes Mr Trump had been the better candidate.

“It’s for the American people to make their choice and I do envy the fact that they are entitled to elect those who make their laws, unlike us in 300 areas where laws are made in a foreign parliament,” he said.

“Donald Trump was better than the alternative of Harris.

“On the issues which impact Northern Ireland, I trust that the historic premise of the United States – no taxation without representation – is something which could give him something to think about when it comes to us.

“As a man who respects borders, when he comes to deal with the United Kingdom I suspect he may be surprised we have a partitioning border down the middle of the UK and that may dissipate the inclination to do trade deals.”