Money Grab/Sell Trump products from the White House
Trump flies to Ireland to attend the Irish Open at his own Doonbeg resort
The DP World Tour’s Amgen Irish Open was played September 10-13, 2026 at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg, County Clare, the first championship tournament ever held at the property. Trump attended the final day and the prize-giving.
What happened
Trump International Golf Links & Hotel sits on the Atlantic at Doonbeg, County Clare, and the Trump Organization bought it in 2014. It had never hosted a championship event. In September 2025 the DP World Tour announced that the 2026 Amgen Irish Open would be played there, and the company’s 2025 year-end letter advertised it as joining “Trump Golf’s calendar.“
The tournament ran September 10-13, 2026, and Trump flew in on September 12. He watched the final round and the prize-giving on the 13th, then went on to Dublin to meet the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, according to pre-trip reporting. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. were at the course, per ABC News photo captions.
More than 150 Irish lawyers signed a letter objecting to the visit, and opposition parties organized a protest in Dublin. Irish officials had spoken beforehand about gunboats off Doonbeg and air cover. The last time Trump stopped at Doonbeg as president, in 2019, the trip cost American taxpayers about $3.6 million. The cost this time has not been published.
Who benefited
The Trump Organization got the course on European television for four days. The president and his sons stood on the 18th green at the trophy ceremony. A golf resort cannot buy that kind of exposure.
Who wanted something
The Trump Organization has been working to put its courses on the professional calendar, and the Tour and sponsors got the president’s presence. The Irish government wanted the visit to go smoothly. It did not ask for it.
Who lost out
Irish taxpayers paid for a two-county security operation. American taxpayers paid for Air Force One and the Secret Service to attend a golf tournament at the president’s own business.
Why it matters
The site records revenue at the president’s resorts and the G20 he awarded to Doral. This is the live version: a presidential trip used as a marketing event for a specific property, with the family in attendance and the public paying the travel bill.
Sources AP (via WCAX)Irish ExaminerThe Trump Organization (primary)ABC News (PA Wire photo captions, Doonbeg Sept. 12-13, 2026)