Trump ‘had not heard’ about Washington boycott by some NI parties

US President Donald Trump said he had not heard that some Northern Ireland political parties had decided to boycott St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Washington DC over his administration’s stance on Gaza.

Sinn Fein, the SDLP and Alliance had ruled out attending such events.

Asked about the boycotts while meeting Irish premier Micheal Martin in the Oval Office, Mr Trump told reporters: “I haven’t heard that, I really haven’t heard that.”

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill travelled to Carolina in the US this week for a business event.

However, she returned home rather than attend the Washington events as part of Sinn Fein’s protest against Mr Trump’s threat of mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza.

Deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP, is in Washington.

Mr Trump spoke with Ms Little-Pengelly, DUP Communities Minister Gordon Lyons and Stormont Speaker Edwin Poots at a lunch in Capitol Hill which followed his meeting with the Taoiseach.

Ms Little-Pengelly presented the President with a personalised flag of the Royal Portrush Golf Club, which will host The Open Championship this year.

Mr Trump also posed for photographs with the Northern Ireland politicians.

Last year, Ms O’Neill and Ms Little-Pengelly were lauded in the US capital as they travelled together to attend St Patrick’s Day events only weeks after the powersharing institutions at Stormont were restored.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long had also previously confirmed she would not be making the trip this year.

She said her party would be represented in the US, but she would not be asking any of her party to travel to the White House, accusing the US president of ignoring international law.

Ms Long had also predicted in advance that Mr Trump would be unlikely to notice the absence of Northern Ireland politicians.

SDLP leader Claire Hanna was the first to announce that her party would boycott the Washington St Patrick’s events in protest at US policies on Gaza.

Asked about Mr Trump saying he was unaware some Northern Ireland parties are undertaking a boycott of the Washington trip, Ms Little-Pengelly said: “It’s a matter for Michelle O’Neill and Sinn Fein.”

She added: “I think it’s incredibly important for me to be here. We get unparalleled levels of access.”

Asked for his reaction to the president’s remarks about the DC events, Mr Martin said: “I’m not going to comment on that.

“I note that there was a strong presence in Northern Ireland at the lunch. I saw Hilary Benn there, the Northern Secretary of State.

“I met with the Friends of Ireland just now, and they were appreciative of the progress that has been made in respect of the relationship between the United Kingdom Government and the Irish Government, and I briefed them on the progress that has been made now between the UK Government and the Irish Government and also the progress within Northern Ireland itself and the Executive, over a year in existence and going well, and the chemistry between the First Minister and deputy First Minister and so on being very positive.

“And I briefed him on the annual summit that was held last week. So I think that was a much different narrative to maybe one that would have been presented to the Friends of Ireland two years ago or three years ago.”