US Presidntial election 2024: DUP and SDLP agree that Trump Vs Harris election result important for Northern Ireland
The DUP and SDLP have agreed that the outcome of the US Presidential election is important to Northern Ireland.
DUP Leader Gavin Robinson says the eyes of the world are fixed on the US, which underscores the importance of the outcome of the election.
"Regardless of who becomes the 47th President, what matters locally is fostering a positive relationship that benefits Northern Ireland,” he said.
"Boycotts by some and insults by others directed at previous Presidents have done little to advance our interests in the White House. We should focus instead on how we can work with the incoming administration to promote economic opportunities. Moreover, with seventeen American Presidents widely recognised as having Ulster-Scots ancestry, we must continue to build upon the strong cultural ties between us.
"For this reason, our DUP Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons, spent time in the United States only last month, promoting various opportunities for collaboration between Northern Ireland and the US. This is work we will continue.
“I wish the new President well, and I trust they will be granted the wisdom and grace to lead during what is a challenging time not only for America but also for the world.”
SDLP leader of the Opposition in Stormont, Matthew O’Toole, agreed that the outcome matters to Northern Ireland.
"For those of us who think the US, when led properly and in the right context, can provide positive leadership, the past year or more has been extraordinarily difficult," he said.
What has "amounted to genocide" in Gaza has happened with "the tacit engagement" of the current US administration, he said.
However he added that "at its best, any US administration can play a hugely positive role in the world" noting that the NI Assembly would not exist without positive input by successive US administrations – even as recently as with Joe Biden’s visit last year.
A TUV spokesperson said: “The matter of who the US President is is, happily, a matter for the people of the US. The view of the SDLP is irrelevant.”