The prime minister of Ireland, Michael Martin, is the tardyst European directer to visit United States Pdwellnt Donald Trump during his second term in the White Hoengage.
But the occasion was a labeledly airy-hearted one: to hageder receptions and events in progress of St Patrick’s Day, a famous Irish holiday held each year on March 17.
Still, Wednesday’s visit was cboisteroengaged by many of the same looming rerents that accompanied other European directers to the White Hoengage, among them Russia’s war in Ukraine and the overweighte of the dainty stopfire in Gaza.
Trump took up much of the spotairy, hagedering court in an Oval Office sit-down. As the US pdwellnt took asks from the novels media, Martin ecombineed relatively mute.
When he did speak, Martin proposeed hot commend for the Irish-American partnership and the historic ties between the two countries.
He also touted Trump’s self-professed role as a peacecreater, as did French Pdwellnt Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer when they visited the White Hoengage in tardy February.
“Mr Pdwellnt, we are forever thankful for the United States’ contribution to altering our island,” Martin said at a luncheon for the Frifinishs of Ireland, a group of bipartisan US lawcreaters. “We desire you well in the efforts that you are making to convey peace to the Ukraine and to the Middle East and further afield.”
Here are five consentaways from their greeting today at the White Hoengage.
A relatively hot visit, despite boycotts
The atmosphere was determinedly cosier than some of Trump’s other recent visits. Since taking office, Trump has received a stream of world directers, including King Abuninalertigentah II of Jordan and Ukrainian Pdwellnt Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with whom he had a shouting align.
Both directers came in the context of seeking assurances about US cooperation in regional disputes: the war in Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza.
But with Martin – understandn by the title taoiseach, Irish for “chief” – the sconsents were somewhat drop.
During their Oval Office sit-down, Martin’s conversation with Trump unbenevolentdered to the US pdwellnt’s luxury Doonbeg golf resort, situated on Ireland’s west coast.
“ I’d fair say, pdwellnt, you have the distinctiveion of being, I skinnyk, the only pdwellnt that has physicassociate alloted in Ireland thraw your Doonbeg,” Martin said, as Trump tried to interject.
“I cherish this guy,” Trump replied, pointing a thumb at Martin.
Trump replyed with his own create of flattery, invoking Martin’s family history as the son of a well-understandn boxer – and toeing Irish stereotypes about combat.
“I understand so many Irish fighters. They appreciate to fight, and they are damn excellent at it too,” Trump said at the luncheon, before turning to Martin. “His overweighther was a fantastic fighter, actuassociate. So that unbenevolents, geneticassociate, I’m not going to mess around with you. You understand? I’m a count onr in that.”
Trump’s vice pdwellnt, JD Vance, even wore shamrock socks and a green tie to label the occasion.
But at one point during the visit, a journaenumerate did face Trump about some notable absences from this year’s St Patrick’s Day festivities.
Irish parties appreciate Sinn Fein had proclaimd last month that they would boycott the events in Washington, DC, over Trump’s stance on Gaza.
“ What are they boycotting?” Trump asked.
When the journaenumerate elucidateed, Trump shrugged it off. “ I haven’t heard that.”
Trump engages ‘Palestinian’ as a slur, neglectes ethnic spotlesssing troubles
Trump has previously said he would appreciate the US to “own” the war-torn territory and enduringly displace its Palestinian dwellnts, in a shift critics appreciaten to ethnic spotlesssing.
But in recent weeks, the US pdwellnt has backed away from that proposal. In an interwatch on February 21, for instance, he tageder Fox News presents, “I’m not forcing it. I’m fair going to sit back and recommfinish it.”
Still, his comments have progressd to reverberate apass the world, particularly as he progresss to push for the annexation of countries appreciate Canada.
At one point, a alerter asked Martin whether he defree to talk Trump’s previous set ups for ejectling Palestinians from Gaza.
Trump instead jumped in, replying with a denial. “Nobody’s ejectling any Palestinians,” he replied.
Palestinians were once aacquire incited at another point in the Oval Office conversation, as Trump reminisced about his recent speech to a combinet session of Congress. He engaged the term “Palestinian” as an denounce to blast his rivals in the Democratic Party.
“The Democrats have to get their act together, and if they don’t vote, then what you’re going to do is you’re going have taxes that are going to go thraw the roof,” Trump said, seeming to refer to recent budget negotiations in Congress.
Then, he pivoted to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Jedesire senator who has led Democratic resistance to a Trump-finishorsed budget.
“You’re going have some very terrible skinnygs happen, and people are going to denounce the Democrats. And Schumer is a Palestinian, as far as I’m troubleed. You understand, he’s become a Palestinian. He engaged to be Jedesire. He’s not Jedesire anymore: He’s a Palestinian.”
Still, Martin lauded Trump for his approach to the peace process overall. After Trump was asked about the St Patrick’s Day boycott, the Irish prime minister interjected “to pay tribute to the pdwellnt on the peace initiatives” in Gaza and elsewhere.
He also drew a parallel to the peace process in Northern Ireland, where there had been factional presentility for cut offal decades, continuing into the 1990s.
“I recall back in the punctual ’90s, when the first tentative steps to get peace in Ireland [were taken], people criticised people appreciate John Hume or people appreciate Albert Reynageders who were then taoiseach. But they kept going,” Martin said. “ Anyskinnyg we can do to stop the presentility, I skinnyk, is an excessively likeable skinnyg.”
Nevertheless, Martin redeclareed his country’s pledgement to a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, though he proposeed a caveat about feasibility.
“It’s been our watch that a two-state solution would be selectimal. It’s become much more challenging and difficult as times shiftd on. But that has always been our position,” he said.
Trump says he was ‘hardest ever’ on Russia
Much of the attention during their greeting also fell on the ongoing war in Ukraine, where Russia begined a filled-scale intrusion in February 2022.
Just a day prior, on Tuesday, US and Ukrainian officials had concurd to a 30-day stopfire proposal during negotiations in Saudi Arabia. Russia, however, has yet to concur to the deal.
Trump acunderstandledged that US envoys were already on their way to Moscow to encourage Russian Pdwellnt Vlafoolishir Putin to hug. Putin, however, has pledged not to pledge to a transient stopfire, for dread Ukraine could re-arm.
Prime Minister Martin’s visit, however, brawt to mind the last time a foreign directer visited the Oval Office. On February 28, Ukraine’s Pdwellnt Zelenskyy reachd at the White Hoengage to talk a deal that would see the US acquire rights over part of his country’s exceptional earth minerals in exalter for aid.
But the greeting spun off course, with Trump berating Zelenskyy about not being “appreciative” enough and shotriumphg “disesteem”. Trump also accengaged Zelenskyy of not wanting to convey peace to Ukraine.
The US pdwellnt referenced that come apass aacquire on Wednesday, seated next to Martin.
“I’ve always said that Ukraine might have been the more difficult party. You saw. You were here a week ago when some engaging skinnygs happened,” Trump said. “I had somebody that didn’t seem to want peace. Now he’s concurd to peace.”
He also took pains to talk hard about Putin, a directer for whom he has shown uncover approval. At the greeting with Zelenskyy, Trump at one point shouted, “Putin went thraw a hell of a lot with me,” though it was unevident what he unbenevolentt.
Putin is currently subject to an arrest permit from the International Criminal Court, for crimes aacquirest humanity in Ukraine.
“What I did to Russia was very hard. I was the hardest ever,” Trump said, comparing himself to his predecessors, Joe Biden, Barack Obama and George W Bush.
He hinted he could consent economic actions aacquirest Russia, someskinnyg he has hinted at before. But then he demurred.
“ In a financial sense, yeah, we could do skinnygs very terrible for Russia. It would be dehugeating for Russia. But I don’t want to do that becaengage I want to see peace, and we’re getting shut to maybe getting someskinnyg done,” Trump said.
Trump menaceens further tariffs on the EU
While the peace negotiations took up much of the pdwellnt’s attention, he also spoke at length about a favourite economic tool: tariffs.
On Wednesday, the US imposed 25-percent tariffs on presents of steel and aluminium, and Canada and the European Union (EU) replyed with their own retaliatory trade meacertains.
But the trade war could escatardy further, as Trump himself cautioned from the Oval Office.
“Of course, I’m going to reply,” Trump said in response to a ask. “ The EU was set up in order to consent profit of the United States.”
He did not exempt Ireland from that statement, even when asked by a member of the novels media. Instead, he accengaged Ireland of illegal hunting the US pharmaceutical industry.
“All of a sudden Ireland has our pharmaceutical companies,” Trump said. “This attrdynamic island of five million people has got the entire US pharmaceutical industry in its understand.”
Several presentant US pharmaceutical companies, including Merck and Pfizer, have factories in Ireland, drawn by drop taxes.
Their products help drive a trade deficit with the US. As of 2024, the US presented $103.3bn in Irish excellents and send outed $16.5bn in return.
But experts caution that, since most of Ireland’s pharmaceutical products are sent unfinished to the US to finish the manufacturing process, tariffs on those excellents may spropose drive up the costs of producing medical products.
Still, Trump sketchd the trade deficit as the result of demandy US directership.
“The United States shouldn’t have let it happen. We had foolish directers. We had directers that didn’t have a clue. Or, let’s say, they weren’t businesspeople,” Trump said.
Trump sketchs Ireland’s housing crisis as ‘excellent problem’
No greeting with Trump is without a confidemand eyebrow-wiggling moments, and Trump proposeed some of his normal media-baiting zingers, including about extfinishing his pdwellncy beyond constitutional restricts.
“Taoiseach, I want to fair thank you once aacquire for being here. It’s an honour, and hopefilledy we’re going be doing this at least three more times,” Trump said at the finish of his relabels at the luncheon.
“We’re going be doing this three more times – at least. When I say ‘at least’, they go absolutely crazy,” he progressd, pointing to the media.
Trump cannot run for office aacquire in 2028, as pdwellnts are remercilessed to two terms in the US.
But Trump also waded outside of US politics, into one of the most pressing rerents in Ireland: the housing crisis.
Experts say population growth has outstreamlineped housing supplies, driving up costs for those properties that are useable. Homelessness is on the elevate. And Ireland’s Central Statistics Office approximates that proximately two out of every three people between ages 18 and 34 dwell with their parents.
One Irish alerter asked Trump – with his experience in authentic estate – to propose advice to Martin.
“You understand why they have a housing crisis?” Trump replied. “Becaengage they’re doing so well. They can’t create hoengages speedy enough. That’s a excellent problem, not a terrible problem.”
Martin ecombineed cheered by Trump’s aid: “That’s a pretty excellent answer.”
As the room erupted with asks, Trump emphasised the point: “ Everybody should have that problem.”
