There are no plans for Melania Trump, the first lady of the United States, to travel with president Donald Trump on his forthcoming visit to Ireland, her office confirmed on Thursday.
Although the two-day visit will include a visit to Áras an Uachtaráin by Trump, where he will separately meet President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Michael Martin on September 12th, it is not an official state visit.
The meeting at the Phoenix Park residence has been designated a courtesy call rather than an official meeting.
The decision not to travel is in keeping with the infrequent public appearances by the first lady during her husband’s second term in office.
Although she travelled for the state visit to England, where the Trumps were hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle in May of 2025, she was absent for the US presidential three day-visit to China in May of this year.
Melania Trump accompanied her husband at the World Cup final in Meadowlands on July 19th but, following a month out of the spotlight, she returned to public life at a White House event on August 20th.
She was in attendance for Donald Trump’s first presidential visit to Ireland in June 2019 when the couple stayed at Trump’s golf resort in Doonbeg.
It is believed that his sons, Don Jr and Eric, will also be in attendance but will not be travelling as part of the presidential delegation.
Following his meetings, the US president is due to fly from Dublin to Shannon Airport, possibly travelling by helicopter, to stay in his Doonbeg golf course in Co Clare and watch the Irish Open, which will conclude on Sunday.
It is anticipated Trump will present the trophy to the winning player on Sunday evening before returning to Washington.
Separately, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he has no concerns “at all” about what might come up when Trump meets Connolly next week. Martin said it was “appropriate and proper” Connolly would meet Trump during his visit to Ireland next weekend.
The Fianna Fáil leader also said people have a right to protest against the visit but it was important they were “respectful and they respect the rights of others who will be participating in events over the weekend”.
Spokespeople for parties of the left all accepted that Connolly – an outspoken defender of Palestine before her election as president – would meet Trump in Áras an Uachtaráin in her role as head of State.
Paul Murphy of People Before Profit said Connolly has “no choice” but to meet Trump, especially given the commitments she made during the election, but added he expects her to challenge Trump on Palestine.
“If she was not to follow through with [meeting Trump], then people would accuse her of breaking the commitment she made during the election,” he said.
“But I have every confidence that she will express her views, which I think are views shared by the majority of the Irish public, in an appropriately diplomatic way to Trump.”
Zoe Lawlor, chair of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said “no Irish politician or official should meet Trump, or any US President, while the United States remains an active partner in Israel’s genocide”.
The logistical details of Trump’s brief visit and the significant security operation surrounding it are being finalised by officials.
Trump is expected to meet US ambassador Edward Walsh, whose Deerfield residence in Phoenix Park is a short distance from Áras an Uachtaráin and Farmleigh House, where the Republican leader is to meet Martin.
“He did indicate that he would be anxious to get to the Irish Open in Doonbeg and we did say to him that we would like to have them at the Irish Open,” Martin told reporters in Dublin on Thursday.
The Taoiseach said the relationship between Ireland and the US was “very important” and “economically it’s very significant, both ways”.
“In terms of Irish companies accessing the US market, creating jobs in the US market, and exporting to the US market and vice versa, many multinational companies are located here in Ireland, and it’s interesting with the situation pertaining to AI and all of that. Significant investments are still occurring in Ireland beyond AI,” he said.
Martin also said the relationship between the two countries affects the livelihoods of “many people across the length and breadth of our country in a very real and substantive way”.
“The democratically elected leader of the United States is president Trump and as the democratically elected Taoiseach, I think it’s important that we do meet, and we meet with leaders all over the world with a view to trying to develop stronger multilateralism, stronger engagement and to try and benefit our citizens as best we can,” he added.