Taoiseach Micheál Martin was at the White House to meet US president Donald Trump as part of the St Patrick’s Day programme of events.
Here were the day’s key times:
- Mr Martin met vice-president JD Vance at his residence for a breakfast meeting .
- He then headed for the Oval Office where to meet Mr Trump
- The Fianna Fáil leader then attended the US Friends of Ireland congressional luncheon.
- Then, sometime after 5pm (9pm Irish time), Mr Martin and Mr Trump took part in the traditional Shamrock Ceremony the White House.
Key Reads
- Analysis: Micheál Martin sat smiling, struggling to interject, but there was no mistaking it: this was the Donald’s show
- Keith Duggan: Martin’s meeting with Trump a defining moment for Taoiseach
- Listen: Martin survives his close encounter of the Trump kind
And with the exchange of the traditional bowl of shamrock, the long day of diplomacy concludes, for Micheál Martin, Donald Trump and for us.
The Taoiseach has invited Mr Trump for a return visit.
Read Keith Duggan’s view of the day’s events - on the delicate art of diplomacy and the distance between Boston and Galway Bay these days - here.
And come back tomorrow for more coverage of the international St Patrick’s Day diplomatic blitz.
Micheál Martin, delivering some remarks, underlined Ireland’s investment in the United States and the work Irish people have done within the United States. “Just like our peoples and cultures, our economies are deeply interconnected,” he said.
He hopes to build “ever-growing prosperity” on the “mutually beneficial two-way economic relationship” that exists between Ireland and the US.
And there goes the shamrock, which concludes the diplomatic diary for the day.
Micheál Martin, delivering some remarks, is underlining Ireland’s investment in the United States and the work Irish people have done within the United States. “Just like our peoples and cultures, our economies are deeply interconnected,” he says.
He hopes to build “ever-growing prosperity” on the “mutually beneficial two-way economic relationship” that exists between Ireland and the US.
At the shamrock ceremony, Donald Trump has introduced various figures in his Cabinet with Irish heritage, pointed out Michael Flatley and recounted various stories of Irish fortitude in times past.
Micheál Martin has described his meeting with US President Donald Trump as “very positive”.
Mr Martin said he was focused on presenting the narrative that there is a two-way trade relationship between Ireland and the US.
Speaking to reporters following the Oval Office meeting, he said: “It’s very clear that the president likes Ireland. He has strong affection for the Irish people.”
In a reference to Mr Trump’s comments about Ireland “taking” US pharmaceutical companies, Mr Martin said: “He was particularly complimentary in terms of the Irish approach in terms of economic management over the last number of decades.
“I think he put it in a fairly different way than perhaps people might have expected but nonetheless, he was clear.
“And he spoke about to us in terms of the impact of the Irish on the US, his own experiences in New York in terms of the Irish influence.”
He added: “My overriding objective was to try to present the narrative and the story that Ireland’s relationship with United States is a two-relationship economically.
While Northern Ireland’s First Minister Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill boycotted St Patrick’s Day events in Washington, the Deputy First Minister, the DUP’s Emma Little-Pengelly, was there.
Four members of jailed teacher Enoch Burke’s family staged a low-key protest outside the White House this evening. His parents and two of his siblings stood holding placards which reader “United States needs to know the truth”, “Micheál Martin denies Christian liberties” and “No religious freedom in Ireland”. They did not speak to the press.
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said the EU “weren’t helpful” to the Taoiseach in announcing counter tariffs on US goods on the day of his visit.
“If it had been me, I would have been very annoyed at the EU for deciding to make their statements this morning, that wasn’t very helpful to the Taoiseach,” he said, speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime.
“It was the day for St Patrick’s Day, it was the Irish day, and the Taoiseach will be fighting the European issue in many more meetings over the months to come, but I think today was to defend our position and he did that well,” he said.
The Taoiseach Micheál Martin has been accused by Opposition parties of “plámásing” the US president while also drawing criticism for laughing at Mr Trump’s comments concerning Ireland’s housing crisis being a “good problem”.
When asked about Ireland’s housing crisis by reporters at the Oval Office on Wednesday, Mr Trump claimed the reason for the crisis was because Ireland was “doing so well”.
“They can’t provide houses fast enough, that’s a good problem, not a bad problem,” Mr Trump said, adding: “Everybody should have that problem, that’s okay, I know this gentleman, he’ll get it solved.”
Laughing, the Taoiseach said that Mr Trump’s remark was a “very good answer”.
Following the exchange, Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin criticised the Taoiseach’s response, saying: “Joking about the housing crisis is never ‘a good answer.’”
Labour spokesman on foreign affairs Duncan Smith, meanwhile, said the Trump administration’s approach to the EU, tariffs, Ireland’s pharmaceutical sector and the US president’s vision of peace is “deeply concerning”.
“The Taoiseach failed to robustly defend our values, the European project or challenge falsehoods while laughing about our housing crisis. It Is also clear that the Taoiseach held back on Ireland’s position on Gaza and Palestine,” he said.
Separately, People Before Profit’s Richard Boyd Barrett accused the Taoiseach of “utterly pathetic plámásing” of Mr Trump.
“Incredibly he praises Trump for his ‘peace efforts’ when Trump is threatening to ethnically cleanse Gaza and is arming the genocidal Israeli regime to the teeth & telling the EU it must spend more on arms – shameful,” he said on X.
Another landmark event ends for the Taoiseach with the presenting of the bowl of shamrock to come.
The Taoiseach Micheál Martin described US president Donald Trump as a “great friend of Ireland” at the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon.
“I know there is one small corner in the West of Ireland – a beautiful and remote part called Doonbeg in Co Clare – which holds a very special place in your heart. And we hope to welcome you back to our small island and, indeed, to these particular greens, very soon.”
He said Ireland’s “green has been threaded through the rich tapestry of the United States by almost 32 million Irish Americans. Their forebears left a very different Ireland to the one we know today.
“Many were fleeing the grinding poverty and terrible hunger which blighted Ireland in centuries past. They left in desperation, but also in determination to forge a brighter future for their children.”
He told the attendees at the lunch that the Friends of Ireland “held fast to a vision of Ireland not marred by violence or terror” in the past and said that it was that “same determination that, together, we must devote to today’s conflicts, whether in the Middle East or in Ukraine. Our shared history teaches us that peace, however elusive it may sometimes seem, is achievable. Its promise remains within grasp.”
The Friends of Ireland luncheon has ended and the traditional presenting of the bowl of shamrock is up next.
This clip from today’s Oval Office meeting will give you a real sense of how it went in case you missed it.
“This is a cherished opportunity to break bread with our most steadfast friends,” says the Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the Friends of Ireland luncheon as he extends an invitation to the US President Donald Trump to return to Ireland.
How did the Taoiseach fare in his meeting with the US president Donald Trump in the White House, Jack Horgan Jones asks.
“A very good defensive boxer,” was Micheál Martin’s assessment of his own father’s pugilistic style, offered as a nearly-hour long exchange in the Oval Office with US President Donald Trump rumbled on.
The Taoiseach needed those skills on Wednesday afternoon as his host rained down blows on Ireland’s economic model and the European Union. He stayed alive, counterpunched diplomatically, and made it out of the ring in one piece – but those flurries made a mark.
How did Martin do? You could say he grew into the fight. From the off, Trump rose to questions about tariffs, trade and Ireland’s success at luring US companies to our shores.
The framing was one of grudging respect for Ireland’s achievements – but it was an assessment rooted in Trump’s most enduring preoccupation, of global trade as a zero-sum, beggar-thy-neighbour game in which there are winners and losers. And if Ireland was winning, that meant someone was losing – and that someone was the United States, led astray by foolish ex-Presidents, in the incumbent’s telling.
It was excruciating for periods, as Trump unspooled his familiar criticisms and Martin sat largely quiet, having to wait for an opening.
Not everyone was laughing when Trump and Martin talked housing.
The US president Donald Trump has vowed to respond to the European Union’s threat to impose counter tariffs on €26 billion worth of US goods from next month after Trump implemented blanket tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
“Of course I will respond,” Trump told reporters at the start of the meeting with the Taoiseach Micheál Martin in the Oval Office.
He said Ireland, a member of the European Union, was among countries taking advantage of the United States.
Cliff Taylor: The most significant economic comments made by US president Donald Trump related to investments by US pharmaceutical companies in Ireland.
Responding to a journalist’s question, the president said that “Ireland has our pharma companies.” He repeated previous comments that he wants more of this investment to return to the US. This is a significant economic issue for Ireland, where many big US pharma companies make products for the US market. These are big contributors to jobs and tax revenues in Ireland.
It seems tariffs are the chosen tactic of Trump to try to achieve this. He said that had he been president when the pharma companies first set up in Ireland, he would have imposed massive 200 per cent tariffs on their imports back to the US market.
These companies also sell to other world markets from Ireland, but clearly Trump wants production for the American market returned to the US.
He has threatened special tariffs on pharma products to achieve this. His rhetoric is already having an impact, with some big companies with operations here – such as Eli Lilly – promising to invest more in the US.
Whether this is at the expense of investment here is not entirely clear, though if tariffs are introduced pharma companies are likely to use any spare capacity in the US in the short term and cut production in overseas locations like Ireland.
Trump has other tools, such as the tax system, to get his way. And he has said: “We don’t want to do anything to hurt Ireland but we do want fairness.” But his obsession with the EU in general was clear and as well as his focus on pharma the prospect of further tariffs and a trade war with the EU would certainly see Ireland caught in the crossfire.
The Taoiseach Micheál Martin did well, dodged a few awkward moments and avoided any significant hostility from US president Donald Trump, suggests our Political Editor Pat Leahy
A reporter – an Irish one – asks Mr Trump if Ireland is too close to the EU. He talks again about how good Ireland is and how bad the EU is. And that is that.
The final question focuses on Doonbeg. He talks about how the Irish authorities gave him the approval to carry out work at the resort “in about four weeks” but was told it would take “five to seven years” to get approval from the EU. “I will hand it to Ireland but I don’t know why the EU had to approve it.”
Mr Martin says Mr Trump has “the distinction of being the only president who has invested in Ireland” and he describes the resort as “stunning”. To say that goes down well with the US president would be an understatement.
A question about Apple and whether or not the company should move its Irish operation back to the US is next. Mr Trump says the company has been treated very unfairly and Mr Martin points out that Ireland fought with Apple. Mr Trump then lays the blame at the door of the EU.
Trump is asked who is favourite Irish person is. He references your “great fighter”. The reporters shout the name Conor McGegor. Mr Trump compliments his tattoos and Mr Trump nods to Mr Martin and says “he is great, right?” Could be a problematic question for Mr Martin but it quickly turns to his advantage when Mr Trump mentions that the Taoiseach’s father was a fighter after which he compliments Mr Martin for his physical condition.
“I think the Irish love Trump,” he says. “I have been there many times and we don’t want to do anything to hurt Ireland but we want fairness.”
Mr Martin is asked what he would do to “make Ireland great again” and says housing is the big issue after which he is also asked by the same reporter who is clearly a big Trump supporter why Ireland would let Rosie O’Donnell move to Ireland. Mr Martin dodges the question quite artfully.
The Taoiseach finally gets to speak and talks about the companies investing in and buying from the US. He mentions Ryanair and AerCap as being the biggest Boeing customers and says how much value Ireland has added to US companies. But Mr Trump says there is a “massive deficit” with Ireland and he said he would do what he could address it but in a “nice way”.
The US president is going through his playbook of dangerous immigrants, “men playing women’s sport ... everything is transgender; that is all you hear about” and the evils of the Democratic Party.
There has been a lot of talk about how Mr Martin might deal with the meeting but so far he has not had much of a chance to say anything in a press conference that has been dominated – to say the least – by Mr Trump.
A question about how Mr Trump might tackle the housing crisis in Ireland is followed up by one on tariffs. He talks about the scale of the pharmaceutical production in Ireland and says “I’d like to see the US not have been so stupid, not just with Ireland but with everyone,” he says. He jokes that Mr Martin is “lucky” Mr Trump was not president when the pharma industry was locating here as he would have slapped a 200 per cent tariff on drugs produced in Ireland.
Question from an Irish reporter about the Occupied Territories Bill. “You’re not from Israel that’s for sure,” Mr Trump tells her before talking about manner in which Israeli hostages were treated by Hamas.
The meeting has started. Donald Trump talks about US inflation and then focuses on JD Vance’s socks. A reporter asks about politicians from Northern Ireland boycotting the meetings. The US president says he does not know anything about that. Mr Martin steps in and hails the US role in peace across the world. He is thanked by the US president for his comments and then Mr Trump talks more about the Russia Ukraine conflict and the ongoing death toll there.
The Taoiseach Micheál Martin has been greeted by US president Donald Trump outside the White House ahead of a meeting scheduled to last an hour or so.
The handshake shots have landed but we will have to wait a while before we see footage from the Oval Office.
And we’re off – the Taoiseach Micheál Martin arrives at the White House all smiles. Trump greets him and is asked by a reporter about the latest inflation figures in the US to which he responds “Very good news” And then they disappear into the building.
Flag bearers are in place now so it won’t be long before the Taoiseach arrives.
According to those familiar with White House movements, meetings with the US president Donald Trump often run behind schedule but we are a full 30 minutes late at this stage.
While we wait for something to happen at the White House it is worth reporting that members of Enoch Burke’s family have been seen in the neighbourhood this morning.
The meeting was due to start at 2:45pm but has been pushed back. We understand the Taoiseach is currently en route to the White House so it should not be too long now.
In the meantime, we have just a bit more on the socks. While US vice-president JD Vance made much of his shamrock socks, he is not the first person to engage in sock diplomacy. The outgoing Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau made statement socks a feature of state occasions and – not to be bested – then Taoiseach Leo Varakdar red and white socks emblazoned with maples to a meeting with Trudeau in 2017.
The Taoiseach Micheál Martin is scheduled to be greeted by Mr Trump in the next few minutes with a bilateral meeting taking place in the Oval Office that is set to last for an hour or so.
There is a live stream of the upcoming meeting between the US President Donald Trump and the Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Not much happening on it as yet but it is a nice mellow watch.
More on the socks the Veep wore.
We have some footage of the breakfast ahead of the main event in the White House shortly.
Among the guests were US Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh and senators Tim Sheehy and Susan Collins.
If you are wondering what was on the breakfast menu, we have you covered. There was a cup of fresh berries, poached eggs Benedict with roasted potato cake, cured ham and sliced avocado and a bread basket that included “Irish soda bread, pepper scones, black olive bread and honey butter.”
The Taoiseach has arrived back at Blair House, the presidential guest house across the road from the White House in advance of meeting with President Trump.
The full text of the Taoiseach’s address at the JD Vance-hosted breakfast has arrived and it opens and closes with a good deal of gratitude:
Let me begin by expressing my sincere thanks to President Trump and to you, Mr Vice President, for continuing the time-honoured tradition of celebrating St Patrick’s Day in Washington DC.
Thank you, Madam Second Lady, thank you Usha, for hosting this St. Patrick’s Day breakfast in your residence.
Mary and I greatly appreciate your warm welcome and hospitality.
To some, it may seem strange that I, as Taoiseach, choose to spend our national day here in the United States. But as you may know, Mr Vice President, St Patrick’s Day, as it is celebrated today with great fanfare and flourish, began here in the United States.
In times long past, Irish emigrants, far from hearth and home, marked the day in memory of the families they had left behind.
Over time, the celebrations grew in strength and number, and today we are deeply proud that March 17th is a day to showcase our rich culture and great friendship from across the world.
The United States has been a steadfast friend of Ireland’s for centuries.
Indeed, the United States was the first country to recognise our long-sought independence.
Last year we marked 100 years of Irish-US diplomatic relations. Together we have built deep and enduring political, cultural and economic bonds, greatly enriching our two nations in the process.
First and foremost, our kinship was built upon the ties between our people, especially the generations of Irish who made their homes here.
Scots-Irish emigrants, among them your forebears, Mr Vice President, played a key role in shaping this great country, and Appalachia in particular.
Many helped to build the railroads and contributed greatly to America’s prosperity.
Others brought the fiddle to meet the African banjo, blending the traditions of the immigrant communities who lived there to create something new, fresh and exciting.
I was fascinated to learn that in recent years, geologists discovered that the Appalachian trail does not begin and end in North America. Part of it is in Ireland and Britain, split millions of years ago by the movement of tectonic plates.
It is not so surprising then, that Irish and Scottish emigrants, upon arrival in the US, chose a familiar landscape on which to found their new lives.
Irish Americans continue to make their mark on United States, from politics, to the arts, to business.
They have helped to sustain our people-to-people ties and make a crucial contribution to our economic relationship.
Ireland is now in the top 10 as a source of foreign direct investment into the US, supporting the jobs of hundreds of thousands of people across the US.
Nowhere is the strength of the US-Irish relationship more in evidence than in our peace process.
Forty-four years ago, President Reagan called for a “just and peaceful solution” to the conflict that had for so long devastated lives on our island.
Politicians from both sides of the aisle rose to the occasion. The lasting peace we enjoy on our island today is a signature achievement of US foreign policy.
This story of peace is one we wrote together.
We know that building peace is a difficult and painstaking task. We are ready to play our part in supporting work to end conflict and to secure peace, whether in the Middle East or in Ukraine.
I welcome the focus and effort that President Trump and his administration has brought to the task from his very first days in office
As it has always been, the US remains an indispensable partner and global actor.
Mr vice-president, I know we care deeply about the world our children and our children’s children inherit.
And I know that the US and Ireland will continue to stand together, working tirelessly to secure a future that offers the promise of peace and prosperity.
Mr vice-president, as I wrap up, allow me to thank you and the Second Lady once again for opening your home to us – and through us to the people of Ireland.
You have made us feel right at home in this splendid house on this, our first St Patrick’s Day together.
And I hope that you will allow us to return the honour. I have been told that our small island holds a special place in your shared memories, as you and Usha enjoyed a road trip in Ireland some years back, visiting the Ring of Kerry, Skibbereen, Cashel and Dublin.
We would be honoured and delighted to welcome you both back to our shores before too long.
Mr Vice-President, I know you are partial to a round of golf.
We have some exceptional courses in Ireland, one of which – in a remote and beautiful part of Ireland called Doonbeg – President Trump could tell you a thing or two about playing.
Mr vice-president, Madam Second Lady, Mary and I thank you once again for your hospitality.
And we thank you for your friendship.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.
Some footage of the JD Vance reports from the White House account on X has landed.
The Taoiseach Micheál Martin has hailed Donald Trump’s focus and “progress” on brokering peace since he returned to the White House.
Mr Martin said that peace on the island of Ireland was “a signature achievement” of US foreign policy and said that Ireland was ready to “play our part” in ending other conflicts around the world.
“Nowhere is the strength of the US-Irish relationship more in evidence than in our own peace process,” Mr Martin said.
“44 years ago, president Reagan called for a just and peaceful solution to the conflict that has for so long devastated lives on our island. Politicians from both sides of the aisle rose to the occasion, and the lasting peace we enjoy today on our island is a signature achievement of US foreign policy.
“This story of peace is one that we both wrote together. We know that building peace is a difficult and painstaking task, and we are ready to play our part in supporting work to end conflict and to secure peace in Ukraine or in the Middle East or wherever.
“We welcome very much the unrelenting focus and effort that President Trump and his administration has brought to this task from his very first days in office, and we welcome the progress that is clearly being made.”
Speaking ahead of the annual breakfast the Taoiseach Micheál Martin thanked Mr Vance for his “warm welcome and hospitality” and joked that he would need to “adjust very rapidly” his “conservative” dress sense after seeing Mr Vance’s socks.
“The United States has been a steadfast friend of Ireland for centuries. Indeed, the United States was the first country to recognise our long, soft independence,” Mr Martin said.
“Together, we have built deep and enduring political, cultural and economic bonds, greatly enriching our two nations in the process.”
Among those at the meeting are US health secretary Robert F Kennedy and Ireland’s ambassador to the US Geraldine Byrne Nason.
Robert F Kennedy arriving at the US vice-president’s residence for the annual St Patrick’s Day breakfast.
There was some talk this morning of JD Vance’s socks. So here they are.
Some more pics of the big breakfast in Washington this morning.
Some video of the arrival of the Taoiseach to his breakfast with JD Vance.
In case you have been wondering, the Taoiseach is sharing his breakfast table – if not his breakfast – with Robert F Kennedy.
JD Vance welcomed Micheál Martin and said the Irish-American relationship was “One of the great alliances one of the great friendships of the world.”
He recalled a visit to Ireland with his wife and said he encountered “beautiful landscape ... and also technological growth”
He said the visit was an opportunity to “remind people of the important bonds of friendship between US and Ireland” and joked that it was also an opportunity for his wife to wear her green pants
He Displayed his own shamrock socks and asked that if Donald Trump – “a fan of conservative dress” – notices them in the Oval Office later Micheál Martin might intervene on his behalf.
So, all going swimmingly so far.
The wearing of the green – the Taoiseach, his wife Mary and the vice-president and his wife Usha in Washington this morning
It was all smiles this morning when Micheál Martin arrived for a breakfast hosted by US vice-president JD Vance at his residence at the US Naval Observatory. The Taoiseach and his wife Mary were greeted by Mr Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance. There was a lot of green being worn with both the Taoiseach and the Veep wearing the same tie. Awkward.
For what it’s worth, the visit by our Taoiseach to the White House today is not exactly headline news in the US. While there is a brief mention in the Washington Post this morning, it’s is hard to find any reference to it at all in the New York Times. That might well change as the day goes on, however.
In Shannon Marco Rubio said he wanted both Russia and Ukraine to “consider ending all hostilities so people will stop dying, so bullets will stop flying”.
He said “a process can begin to define a permanent peace. I think the first step in all this is the acceptance that there is no military solution to this conflict, and neither side can militarily achieve their maximalist goals. Neither side can achieve them through the military side.
“The only way this conflict can end is through negotiation. That’s the only way you’re going to have peace.
“And so we need to start that process, and it is hard to start a process when people are shooting at each other and people are dying, and so our hope is that we can stop that all these hostilities and get to a negotiating table where both sides over some period of time, with a lot of hard work, can find a mutually acceptable outcome that in the case of Ukraine obviously secures a long-term prosperity and security.”
Asked about security guarantees for Ukraine he said:
“What we want to see is, like any country in the world, Ukraine wants their long-term security. They want to make sure that this doesn’t happen again. What is the point of spending all this time to get a ceasefire, hopefully, and then a negotiated end of the war, only to see it spark up again in about six years, four years, three years.
So I think the question really is more about a deterrence. “Can Ukraine create a sufficient deterrent against future aggression, against future attack against future invasion? Because every country in the world has a right to defend themselves and no one can dispute that. So that will most certainly have to be part of the conversation.”
Irish Times Political Editor Pat Leahy has an update from the Hill.
As Taoiseach Micheál Martin begins a day of engagements with US leaders – including his Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump – Washington is waking up to the news that the EU has retaliated against the steel and aluminium tariffs which came into operation against imports today.
From today the US is imposing 25 per cent tariffs against steel and aluminium imports from all countries, though Mr Trump swerved at the last minute to withdraw a threat made yesterday to increase the tariffs on imports from Canada to 50 per cent.
The EU announced a two-stage response, imposing tariffs on some American products from April 1, and further measure from mid-April.
The response sets the scene for a frantic few weeks of contacts between Washington and Brussels before the deadline expires – and the first EU leader to meet Mr Trump is the Taoiseach today.
Fox News is reporting that the breakfast for the Irish delegation hosted by US vice-president JD Vance is about to begin.
The host of the morning show also pronounced our Taoiseach’s first name as Michelle.
It has also suggested that the Russia Ukraine war is “likely going to be a part of today’s conversation” and highlighted a statement from Mr Martin yesterday in which he said “a lasting durable and fair peace in Ukraine is something we all desire. We welcome the outcome of talks between the US and Ukraine [and a] pathway to peace now exists”.
Former FG TD John Deasy believes all will be calm at the White House today.
While Micheál Martin is in Washington, the US Secretary of State Marcos Rubio is in Shannon talking about attempts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine. He is heading back to the US from Saudi Arabia.
The predicament is dire, suggests Fintan O’Toole. “How should Micheál Martin deal with Donald Trump when he meets him in the White House?” The goods news is O’Toole has a cunning plan.
The EU’s spokesperson on trade and financial services, Olaf Gill has said he trusts that Taoiseach Micheál Martin will represent “Team Europe’s” position on tariffs when he meets US President Donald Trump later today.
Also speaking on RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show t he said the EU and the leaders of every member state needed to “act as one” when the EU is targeted by “unjustified, unfair and needless” tariffs.
It was “great” that Mr Martin would be able to tell Mr Trump that the EU wants to find solutions and avoid tariffs.
“I have full faith in the great political and diplomatic skills of the Taoiseach to make the case for the European Union when he meets him today.”
Mr Gill added that the EU’s response to the US was designed to protect its economy, workers and consumers. The EU has put together a “two-step plan.” The EU wanted and was ready to negotiate and that its “door remains open”.
However, Mr Gill acknowledged that it seemed likely that the US could impose more severe tariffs on the EU.
The chairperson of Republicans Overseas UK has said he is not sure it would be appropriate for the Taoiseach to raise the issue of EU tariffs when he meets Donald Trump later today, writes Vivienne Clarke.
Speaking on RTÉ‘s Today with Claire Byrne, Greg Swenson said there are some sensitivities around the issue and the Taoiseach does not speak for the entire EU.
Mr Swenson said the EU’s trade surplus with the US is “one of the things that is semi-annoying to Mr Trump”.
“I think it would be good diplomacy to avoid the topic,” Mr Swenson said.
He added that any sort of a trade war is the last thing the EU should want right now.
He said he expected that today’s meeting will be lengthy and public, adding that this is a great opportunity for Micheál Martin.
Greg Swenson said he expects Mr Trump will make today’s occasion a little more lighthearted and celebratory rather than treating it like a sit down with an EU leader.
He said today will most likely be about the cultural connection that Ireland and the US enjoys.
John McManus has an interesting take on why the trade war might not be all bad news for Martin.
Micheál Martin might be quietly wishing that Ireland’s celebration of St Patrick took place at some other time of the year, suggests Cliff Taylor. Not only has the date fallen to leave him as the first leader to meet Donald Trump after the explosive encounter with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, but he also visits the Oval Office on the very day a trade war kicks off between the EU and US.
Overnight US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from all over the world – including the EU – came into effect and Europe responded with its own tariffs on a range of US goods.
It is hard to see this being avoided in the Oval Office. Martin’s likely direction would be to stick to the Brussels script, which is that tariffs are not a good idea and that there is time to negotiate before the first round of the EU measures come into force at the start of April.
Above all, Martin will want to avoid inflaming the situation, with a full-scale trade war between the two sides certain to hurt Ireland badly.
It is tricky territory. Martin can speak as an EU leader but he can’t negotiate in any meaningful way as this is the job of the EU Commission. Bar, of course, offering an invite to the Ryder Cup in 2027.
Today’s visit by the Taoiseach Micheál Martin to Donald Trump in the White House could be extraordinary or an entirely run of the mill affair.
It is impossible to say what will happen but what we do know is that the Taoiseach is the first EU leader to visit the Oval Office since the disastrous meeting between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy last month.
And as if that wasn’t enough to have people on edge, the annual St Patrick’s Day visit comes on the day the EU has ramped up the nascent trade war with the US by announcing plans to impose counter tariffs on €26 billion worth of US goods from next month.
There are also several subplots that could make today a day to remember or one to forget. Whatever happens, we’ll be here watching.
