Trump to visit Ireland for Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf course

Donald Trump will visit Ireland for meetings with US officials and the Irish Open at his Doonbeg course. The trip again sharpens scrutiny of how presidential travel intersects with Trump family business interests.US President Donald Trump plans to visit Ireland on September 12 and 13 to attend the Irish Open golf tournament at his golf course in Doonbeg, County Clare, according to a White House official. During the trip, he is also expected to join an event with US embassy workers and business officials before attending the tournament at Trump International Golf Links Ireland.The visit again puts the focus on the overlap between Trump’s official travel and properties linked to his family business. His sons have taken over the day-to-day control of the Trump Organisation, but the Ireland trip is the latest example of how presidential travel can also benefit the family’s business interests.The White House official, who was not authorised to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Trump would be in Ireland for the two-day visit in September. The trip comes immediately after Trump is expected to campaign for Republicans ahead of the November elections at the Republican Party’s first national convention before the midterm polls. The event, scheduled in Dallas on September 9 and 10, was Trump’s idea and is aimed at building support through a convention-style gathering similar to those usually held before presidential elections.Trump’s golf properties have continued to feature in his travel and public schedule. His course in Bedminster, New Jersey, hosted a LIV golf tournament in August. Another Trump course at Doral in South Florida is set to host a PGA event, the Cadillac Championship, in March 2028. Trump has also spoken about his course in Turnberry, Scotland, hosting the British Open again. The tournament was last held there in 2009, before Trump bought the resort, though a return continues to face major logistical hurdles. Last summer, Trump spent five days in Scotland, where he played golf at Turnberry and later inaugurated a new Trump golf course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire. The White House did not describe that visit as a holiday and said it was a working trip. During that visit, Trump also spoke about trade with then British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.Trump often travels to golf courses he owns in Florida and New Jersey, as well as a course in Virginia just outside Washington, DC. He is not known to take long holidays. In his 2004 book, Think Like a Billionaire, Trump wrote: "Don’t take vacations. What’s the point?" As recently as last summer, Trump had criticised Barack Obama for taking long flights to play golf while serving as president. "They talked about the carbon footprint and then Obama hops onto a 747, Air Force One, and flies to Hawaii to play a round of golf and comes back," Trump said last year.Apart from the Scotland visit, the longest stretch of downtime Trump took last year was a December stay at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida that extended beyond Christmas. Even that trip included visits by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Ireland trip was first confirmed by the New York Post.In sum, Trump is set to travel to Ireland next month for events involving US officials and business representatives before attending the Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf course, in a visit that once again places attention on the link between his presidential travel and his family’s business interests.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 24, 2026 05:50 IST