In a statement on his website, Trump stated that: “the J-1 visa jobs program for foreign youth will be terminated and replaced with a resume bank for inner city youth provided to all corporate subscribers to the J-1 visa program”

In response to this proposal by Trump Mary McAleese wrote a letter fondly remembering her own times as a student in the U.S “I was a J-1 visa student in California over 40 years ago.Tens of thousands of Irish J-1 students have spent happy summers there over the years since. By far the vast majority have been a credit to Ireland and only the very tiniest minority have not.”

The scheme offers the chance to work in America for up to four months from May to September and has been used by Irish students for the last 50 years.