US president's comments on Irish unity are 'absurd and embarrassing', says Imperial Grand Master
The Imperial Grand Master of the Independent Orange Institution has blasted US president Donald Trump after he backed a united Ireland.
Mr Trump told reporters during a visit to Dublin on Saturday that he would "love to see" a united Ireland and stated that whilst the "UK would have something to say about it", he added: "I think it would be a great thing".
Those comments have sparked a political whirlwind and Imperial Grand Master Wor Bro Phil Moffatt has accused the US president of “meddling in affairs that are of no business to him”.
He added that Mr Trump’s response to the question posed to him on Irish unity was “absurd and embarrassing”, which he says follows a similar pattern following comments made on the US taking over Greenland, plans to make Canada the 51st state and claiming UK troops stayed away from the front lines in Afghanistan.
Wor Bro Phil Moffatt added: “President Trump has form when it comes to making some of the most ludicrous and outrageous statements and his comment, that Irish Unity is going to happen anyway at the press conference is just another example of how out of touch he is with reality.
"Northern Ireland is and shall remain an integral part of the United Kingdom. As many know, the Unionist community have big issues with the Windsor Framework which must be addressed, however we are still under the mother of Parliaments at Westminster.
"Our allegiance is to the British Crown and Constitution and this shall remain the case until the electorate of this Province determine otherwise.”
The Imperial Grand Master also advised the US president to “stick to playing golf rather than meddling in matters over which he has no control or influence” as he watches the final day of the Irish Open at his gold resort in Doonbeg.
He continued: “This is not the first occasion that the Independent Institution has called out President Trump.
"They condemned in the strongest possible terms his untruthful remarks that British troops took a back seat in Afghanistan and never appeared on the front line.
“The President however was forced to withdraw his remarks and apologise to the veterans and their families.”