Simon Harris message to Donald Trump after US election win sparks big reaction

Taoiseach Simon Harris has issued an understated statement congratulating Donald Trump on his US Presidential Election victory overnight.

Controversial Republican candidate Trump cruised to victory over Democrat Kamala Harris, winning multiple key swing states including Georgia and Pennsylvania.

His return to the White House as a convicted felon is a first in US history and is just the second time a former US President has regained the presidency after losing an election. Trump was defeated by Joe Biden in 2020 having been elected to the top job back in 2016 against Hillary Clinton.

Taoiseach Simon Harris issued a message of congratulations to the newly elected 47th president via X, a platform owned and controlled by Trump supporter Elon Musk. 

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Mr Harris wrote: "Congratulations to US President-elect Donald Trump on your victory. The people of the United States have spoken and Ireland will work to deepen and strengthen the historic and unbreakable bonds between our people and our nations in the years ahead."

In a slightly longer official statement, the Taoiseach said: "I congratulate President-elect Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential election.

"Ireland and the United States have deep and historical bonds of people, and we will work to make these even stronger in the years ahead.

"The world faces many challenges and needs leadership to meet them. With the US and Ireland’s shared commitment to democracy and international law, we can, and will, tackle these challenges."

The X post sparked a huge reaction with the Taoiseach mostly inundated with abusive messages from apparent Trump supporters.

Most revelled in Trump's victory and looked forward to Ireland's own election which will be called this week for late November.

One comment read: "Don’t think he’ll be too bothered what you think somehow."

Congratulations to US President-elect @realDonaldTrump on your victory. The people of the United States have spoken and Ireland will work to deepen and strengthen the historic and unbreakable bonds between our people and our nations in the years ahead.

— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) November 6, 2024

Another sang Donald Trump's praises and also extended congratulations: "Congratulations, Donald Trump. You listened to the people's concerns about illegal migration, rising costs, the housing crisis and fears about crime. It was obvious you were going to win! We look forward to you delivering on your promises."

A third replied: "Oh I bet that stung having to write that."

A further comment referred to Trump's stance on immigration: "You might learn a few things from this result. Normal people don't want infinity migration, we don't want to pay for it and we don't want all our services and resources stretched to breaking point because of it."