Trump's Irish unity remarks a dead cat, says DUP leader

US President Donald Trump's comments supporting Irish unity were part of a "dead cat strategy", the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has said.

It followed the president's comments that he would love to see a united Ireland during a meeting with Taoiseach (Irish PM) Micheál Martin over the weekend.

Gavin Robinson said the remarks had "diverted everyone's attention" away from media focus in the Republic of Ireland on his stance over the Middle East.

He rejected suggestions that Trump's remarks were embarrassing for the DUP given the support some senior figures have shown for the US president over many years.

"Our party doesn't hitch our wagon to anyone," Robinson told reporters at Stormont, adding that the DUP "love many and we trust few and we paddle our own canoe - that's it".

Robinson said that "nobody here is going to be waxing themselves into a lather about the comments of President Trump".

"You've heard of the dead cat strategy, you know that President Trump was considering all the press attention would be around his position in the Middle East," he said.

"And so he said something controversial that diverted your attention, diverted everyone's attention and they talked about something else."

Robinson added he suspected mid-term elections in the US also had "very much a part to play" in Trump's remarks.

Jon Burrows, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) said it was a "strategic error" for some politicians to project Trump as an "ally of unionism".

"Unionism needs to learn lessons about the friendships it develops and creates," he said.

He added he would "never cosy up" to Trump, adding that the president was "never going to be a faithful friend".