Hopes that Northern Ireland can have good relations with Donald Trump as US President-elect prepares for inauguration

The TUV said they’re looking forward to his second term, though reiterated calls for the Irish Sea border to be ​scrapped ahead of any new trade deals.

Congratulating the returning president for his “resounding victory” in last year’s election, a party spokesman said: “A key priority for Northern Ireland under this administration is making sure that we are able to benefit from any trade deal the Trump administration cuts with the UK.

“That is why last week MP Jim Allister directly asked the prime minister how he hoped to ensure the whole of the UK benefited from a trade deal when the Protocol remains in place.”

Mr Allister had pointed out that Donald Trump is no fan of the EU, and may be less inclined to cut a deal that would help Northern Ireland if the province is still tied to EU rules and regulations.

The TUV leader was worried that either a deal would fail, or one would be struck that only covers Great Britain, ostracising Northern Ireland.

However, Sir Keir Starmer didn’t get into any future plans for American deals, instead suggesting that attempts to scrap the sea border could result in a hard land border, which Westminster wants to avoid.

Former DUP MP Ian Paisley will be a guest at the inauguration of Mr Trump in Washington on Monday. He is on the official guest list for the formal swearing-in ceremony.

Mr Paisley said he was looking forward to the ceremony, and told the BBC last week that he believes the Trump presidency will be good for Northern Ireland.

Baroness Kate Hoey is also in Washington.

According to Baroness Hoey, the streets of Washington DC on Sunday night were filled with excitement and hope as Americans converged from all over the USA to welcome the returning president.

“I met a family who had driven from Texas and said they just wanted to share in such a historic moment,” she told the News Letter.

“It has been a very useful opportunity to meet so many American politicians and remind them that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.

“I am very hopeful that President Trump, in appointing a special envoy to the UK who is from England originally and who I have now met, will support us in getting rid of the trade barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

“Trump is a leader who will not be ignored.”

Meanwhile, the SDLP called on Stormont to set down rules about what governments can be negotiated with ahead of the second Trump term.

Stating that “countless millions over the planet are anxious” about what the president will do, MLA Matthew O’Toole wanted the Northern Ireland Executive to adhere to a strict set of principles and values.

Those should include, he argued, “non-negotiable” ideas such as human rights standards, respect for international law, and “acknowledgement of the climate crisis”.

Said Mr O’Toole: “Engaging in and with the United States will always be vitally important.

“But as we enter the second Trump era, with a large proportion of Americans and countless millions all over the planet anxious about what that may entail, ministers here should articulate a set of clear principles that the executive adheres to.

“Though we do not choose the leaders of other countries, the people of the North are entitled to know what basic principles guide executive international relations policy – especially when tens of thousands of pounds is being spent on flights.”

Mr O’Toole didn’t suggest what he thought should happen if a foreign government doesn’t match those principles.

In Westminster, the UK government has been “preparing for all scenarios” if the USA brings in new trade tariffs, a Cabinet minister said.

Mr Trump has been vocal about possibly adding large new tariffs to imports as a way of boosting American industry.

Appearing on the BBC, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, said “we need to see what the Trump administration do” but also that Mr Trump is “well known for wanting to do a good deal”.

When asked about tariffs, Mr Jones told the ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’ programme: “Well, look, as you would expect, the government has prepared for all scenarios.

“They’re hypothetical at this stage, we need to see what the Trump administration do.”

Unusually taking place indoors due to weather concerns, the inauguration ceremony starts at 3.30pm UK time on Monday.