Member's statement: US Presidential Election

Member's statement by Mr Matthew O'Toole on 5 November 2024.

MLA

Mr Matthew O'Toole

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

5 November 2024

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

US Presidential Election

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4631455

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I will briefly touch on the subject that much of the world is focused on: the outcome of the US presidential election. In many ways, this segment of our day — Members' Statements — is for people to talk, as Nuala McAllister just did, about important local constituency issues. However, I want to reflect on something that is of global significance. For those of us who think that the US, when led properly and in the right context, can provide positive leadership, the past year or more has been extraordinarily difficult, because we have seen what has amounted to genocide in Gaza. We have seen unconscionable and almost indescribable cruelty and loss of human life. That has happened — it has to be said — with the tacit engagement of a US Administration that have at least attempted, or appear to have attempted at times, to try to restrain that but which has not been successful. That has been very difficult for those of us who believe that the US can play a positive role in the world. Notwithstanding the judgement that we have had to make about the US's facilitation of what has happened in Gaza, it is important to say that the outcome of today's election is still extraordinarily important. When they operate at their best, any US Administration can play a hugely positive role in the world, including on the island of Ireland. These institutions and our agreement would not exist as they currently exist without a positive, active role by the United States and successive Administrations. We may not have returned last term to do our job had there not been positive, active engagement by the Biden Administration. In acknowledging and lamenting some of what has happened more recently, I also acknowledge the enormously important, positive and transformational role that an active US Administration can play and have played here in Northern Ireland and on the island of Ireland. To that end, I want to say what many people think, which is that the outcome of the election matters, because, if we return to a US President who is committed to disengagement from the world, indulges in the worst kind of nativist politics and, frankly does not care what happens beyond the end of his nose, let alone what happens on the island of Ireland or elsewhere, it will be a dark moment for the rest of the world. I acknowledge this moment today and express hope for the world that we have the kind of outcome from the election that will be better than a return to the dark years of the Trump Administration and all that that meant. It would be hugely damaging for the United States and for those of us on this side of the Atlantic and around the world who believe in positive, multilateral engagement as the route to human progress on this planet, whether that is on climate change or conflict resolution. In the context of a very difficult and awful year, particularly for human beings in Gaza, I want to say that the outcome of the election still matters —

521 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:30 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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