Trump news: US President stops in Shannon airport for meeting with Irish PM Leo Varadkar after D-Day celebrations
Mr Trump's Ireland visit includes golfing at a resort of his
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has arrived in Ireland, having attended a D-Day memorial event in Portsmouth with the Queen and other world leaders. He then headed off to play golf at his club in Doonbeg.
Prime Minister Theresa May had hosted 15 world leaders to honour the largest combined land, air and naval operation in history, with Mr Trump also holding a brief "pull-aside" meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Mr Trump, who met Conservative leadership candidate Michael Gove on Monday it has been revealed, has faced criticism over his claims that “big crowds” turned out to support him on his state visit while organised protests against him flopped, in the face of images appearing to showing thousands of people opposing him.
The visit to Ireland follows after Mr Trump's second state visit to London, where he was met with considerable protest — and then denied that protest was happening.
The US president met with the Queen and other dignitaries for a state banquet on Tuesday evening, with everyone dressed to impress at the formal dinner.
Mr Trump's visit to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, while serious, also did not stop him from sending off some questionable tweets during the trip.
He will soon return to the US, where controversy in Washington has developed over the past week since he announced potential tariffs on Mexican goods.
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Shortly before 1pm the Trumps joined the Queen and Prince Charles in meeting half a dozen D-Day veterans.
They shook hands and exchanged a few words. Mr Trump was heard to say to one of them: "Congratulations. Thank you very much."
Afterwards the Trumps and royals moved to another room for a farewell photos.
Mr Trump told the monarch: "It was a great honour to be with you." Turning to reporters, he added: "Great woman. Great, great woman."
The Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans, offshore during the commemoration ceremony (Isabel Infantes/AFP)
John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, were also in on the Trump-Merkel encounter, reports say.
Currently it's lunchtime in Portsmouth. After that the Trumps will leave for Southampton, and from there will travel to Ireland, ending the president's UK state visit.
A reminder of the rest of the day's schedule:
# 2.50pm: The Trumps leave Southsea Common and take a helicopter to Southampton airport, from where they will fly to Ireland
# 5.15pm: Mr Trump conducts an "expanded bilateral meeting" with Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar, lasting until about 6pm
# 6.35pm The Trumps arrive at the president's Doonbeg golf resort
For Mr Trump, problems back home...
Republican senators have voiced “deep concern” about Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico in a rare clash with the US president, writes Chris Baynes.
But Mr Trump said his party colleagues would be “foolish” to try to stop him going ahead within the plan, and it is unclear if they will be able to block it.
Mexican officials, who will meet US government negotiators in Washington, remain hopeful that high-level talks will ease the president away from his threat.
Also on the other side of the pond...
Cruises from the US to Cuba have been banned as part of new travel restrictions announced by Trump’s administration, writes Helen Coffey.
The move is an attack on Cuba’s communist regime and will "keep US dollars out of the hands of Cuban military, intelligence, and security services", according to US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin.
The most popular category of trip, known as "people-to-people" – whereby any American can legally travel to Cuba, provided they engage in a full-time schedule of activities as part of an organised group trip – is also prohibited.
The Trumps with the Queen and Prince Charles as they prepared to meet D-Day veterans earlier (Jeff Mitchell/Getty)
Sarah Huckabee Sanders has provided a statement about the meeting between Donald Trump and Angela Merkel.
She said: “President Trump and Chancellor Merkel had a pull aside meeting for about 10 minutes. The two leaders discussed the current situation in Libya and the deteriorating conditions in west Africa. They agreed to discuss further at the G20.”
An enormous security operation is underway ahead of Mr Trump's visit to Ireland.
Thousands of gardai have descended on west Clare where the first couple will stay following their arrival later today.
Air Force One is expected to land at Shannon Airport on Wednesday afternoon, and Mr Trump and his wife will spend two nights at his Doonbeg hotel and golf resort in Co Clare.
Mr Trump is set to hold a bilateral meeting with Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport.
A huge ring of steel has been erected around the five-star resort where the Trump family will stay until Friday.
Additional reporting by PA
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