On Friday, the party announced that it will not travel to Washington, D.C., for the annual festivities next month due to U.S. President Donald Trump's stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict. There had been growing calls for the party to clarify its position after the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) stated that it would not participate in the celebrations if invited. However, no official invitations have been issued yet. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson criticized the decision as "short-sighted and counterproductive" and confirmed that his party would attend the St. Patrick's Day events. When power-sharing is functioning, it is customary for the First and Deputy First Ministers to make the trip.

O'Neill said she could not attend the St. Patrick's Day events "in good conscience" following President Trump's recent remarks on Gaza. The U.S. president previously suggested that the U.S. could "take over" and "own" Gaza while resettling its population in the process. "I'm taking a stand against an injustice that I see unfolding every day due to the dangerous rhetoric of this new U.S. president," she told BBC News NI. "At moments like this, when our grandchildren ask us what we did while the Palestinian people were suffering in the way they are now, I want to be able to say that I stood on the side of humanity. So for me, this decision is very much a matter of principle, and I believe it is the right thing to do."