US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has yet to confirm if he will be in attendance for The Irish Open at his Doonbeg resort this September.
Organisers have admitted that the presence of the US President would cause a lot of disruption for the European Tour event in West Clare.
Speaking in Doonbeg on Tuesday morning, General Manager of Trump International Golf Links Ireland, Joe Russell when asked on whether the seventy nine year old businessman would be at the resort, stated, “I suppose the main question is President Trump. We have no confirmation of that yet.
“We do know he wants to come but the way the world is, you never know what’s going to happen. But we have not received any confirmation yet, Russell outlined.
He added, “The situation as relates to President Trump, there’s nothing we can do to control what’s going on in the world. But one thing I can say to you is that since the Trump Organisation has taken over this resort, it’s been an upward trend, the people in the community who are benefitting, both socially and economically and every other way from the resort, there’s a very positive vibe here towards the Trump Organisation, and that’s as much as we can control”.
Championship Director with the DP World Tour, Paul Gillmon acknowledged the attendance of Trump in Doonbeg would cause disruptions. “We’ve planned for all scenarios. If he comes, which is a big if, Joe and his team have been working with the local authorities. It will be disruptive but that goes with the territory. We will just wait and see how things evolve”.
Operating profits at the five star resort continue to soar. Latest accounts which were filed in January show that operating profits increased by nine percent to €2.23m in 2024.
Latest consolidated accounts for TIGL Ireland Enterprises Ltd that operates the golf resort show that revenues rose by seven percent from €16.12m to €17.3m.
In their directors report, Joe Russell and Eric Trump stated that Trump Ireland continues to receive significant international recognition, including being named Top 5 Resorts in Europe in Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards 2025.
They also stated that the staging of the 2026 Amgen Irish Open at the course this coming September will further enhance the global profile of the business.
Speaking in the White House on St Patrick’s Day, President Trump said of the prospect of attending The Irish Open at his resort, “We are going to try, it will be an honour”.
He predicted, “it will be a fantastic success” . He said, “Rory McIlroy and all the best golfers in the world love it”. Trump continued, “You have a tremendous golf tradition, and it was chosen for the Irish Open, which is a big deal. That’s a big event. Everybody wants me to be there”.
