'We should be so lucky': Trump makes surprising Kamala Harris admission in Ireland

DUBLIN, IRELAND: President Donald Trump said Republicans should be “so lucky” if former Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is performing well against other Democrats, after saying he had heard she was doing well in polls.

Trump was discussing his 2024 race against Joe Biden, whom he said Democrats replaced after he was leading the contest at the time.

Trump made the comments on Saturday, September 12, while speaking to US embassy staff and business leaders at Ambassador Edward Walsh's Deerfield Residence in Dublin during his two-day Ireland visit.

Trump reacts to reports of Kamala Harris' polling

Trump’s Harris remark came while he was discussing the 2024 presidential race and his view that Democrats had switched candidates after he was leading Biden.

“You're beating Biden so badly. You're winning the race. It's over. You're up by 25, 30 points. The race is over, and they say, let's put somebody else in,” Trump said.

He compared the change to a UFC fight, saying, “You'll have a fighter. He's getting a hell beat out of him. Let's put somebody else in.”

Trump then described Harris as “another beauty” before turning to reports about her standing among Democrats.

“And I hear this is not even believable, but I hear she's doing well in the polls,” Trump said. “Can you believe she's doing well against other Democrats?”

He followed that with a remark that framed Harris' reported polling strength as something Republicans could welcome.

“I would say this as a Republican: we should be so lucky,” Trump said.

Trump revisited his account of the 2024 switch

Trump did not identify the polls or provide figures for Harris' performance against other Democrats during the remarks. 

His comments were presented as something he had heard rather than as a specific polling result he cited.

Trump also returned to his criticism of the 2024 election process, claiming Democrats replaced Biden with Harris after he had been ahead in the race.

Trump said the switch did not work well with business people or others, stating, “She didn't work too well. She didn't play too well with our business people or anybody else, for that matter.”

He then moved from the 2024 contest to his assessment of Harris' current standing among Democrats, repeating that he had heard she was doing well.

However, Kamala Harris said last year that a second Trump presidency would be “a huge risk for America” and “dangerous.”

She revisited those warnings in September 2025, calling Donald Trump an “unchecked, unhinged president.”

Harris also said Trump’s opponents must follow leaders prepared to “fight fire with fire.”

Trump made the remark during a broader Dublin speech

Trump’s comments about Harris came during a lengthy speech in which he discussed his administration’s economic claims, tariffs, military policy, and relations with Ireland.

He told the audience that the United States was “the hottest country in the world right now” and said there had been nearly $21 trillion in new investment over 16 months.

Trump also criticized Biden, saying the former president “hurt our country” and contrasting his administration with what he described as the current strength of the United States.

The Harris comments were part of a broader discussion of American politics rather than a response to a question specifically about her.

Earlier in the event, Trump discussed a question he had received about the unification of Northern Ireland and Ireland, saying it was one where “no matter what you say, no matter how well you say it, there's no good answer,” before adding that he thought unification “would be a very cool thing.”