The five main takeaways from Micheál Martin's White House trip
The annual pilgrimage to the White House to hand over a bowl of shamrocks for St Patrick’s Day is a unique opportunity to take the pulse of the relationship between the US and Ireland.
Like many countries, Ireland has been caught in the crosshairs of Donald Trump’s ire over our hosting of several US corporation giants as well as our sizeable pharmaceutical industry.
Nine out of ten of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies are based in Ireland.
Pic: Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images
Trump did note Ireland can address a ‘tremendous’ trade imbalance with the US by buying American liquified natural gas (LNG), but his tone was diplomatic.
This year’s trip to the White House revealed some other fascinating insights into our special relationship with America.
Trump is planning on coming to Ireland
Trump heaped praise on his ‘very dear friend’, Micheál Martin, as he insisted: ‘The relationship between the United States and Ireland is deep and enduring.
‘It will always be special. We are in each other’s DNA. In the founding ideals of our states and the values which secured our sovereignty.’
He later joked: ‘It is hard to imagine the United States without the contribution of the Irish and Ireland without the friendship of the United States.
Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
‘It’s been a special time. I feel like I have Irish blood. I’m not too far [with] Scottish blood,’ Donald Trump told those in attendance.
‘We find Irish Americans embody the best of our country and point us toward excellence and great success. And nobody has had, I would say, as a group, more success than people from Ireland,’ he said.
Trump also said he is ‘going to try’ to attend the Irish Open golf tournament when it is hosted at his golf course later this year.
The Irish Open will be held at Trump International Golf Links Ireland in Doonbeg, Co Clare, in September.
Trump insists energy prices will ‘drop like a rock’
When asked what his message was to Irish people who are paying high energy prices because of the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
‘I think the people in Ireland are very happy that I’m getting rid of – I have a lot of friends from Ireland, they’re very happy that I’m getting rid of – a nuclear power, a nuclear terrorist.
Pic: Alex Wong/Getty Images
‘And as soon as that war is over, which will be soon, your prices are going to drop like a rock. You watch.’
Martin defends Keir Starmer
Mr Martin defended Sir Keir by telling Mr Trump he ‘had the capacity’ to engage with the British leader and other European leaders.
Trump had said he was disappointed with him over his failure to support the war in Iran.
He once again repeated his dig that ‘unfortunately, Keir is no Winston Churchill.’
Pic: Paul Faith / AFP via Getty Images
However, the Taoiseach used his deft political skills to try and smooth things over.
He said the relationship between Europe and the US is ‘very, very important’, and previous issues between the EU and the US last year, where the threat of a tariff war loomed for months, had been resolved.
‘I think we can get landing zone again,’ Mr Martin said.
‘Keir Starmer has done a lot to reset the Irish-British relationship, I just want to put that on the record.
‘But I do believe that he’s a very earnest, sound person (which) you have a capacity to get on with, you’ve got on with him before.
‘You’ve got on with other European leaders as well, and I think you have that capacity again.’
The Taoiseach made a point of defending the EU on immigration
There was some gentle pushback from Martin during a discussion on immigration.
He said Europe has been characterised ‘wrongly’ as being ‘overrun’ by immigration – something Trump has often repeated.
Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
He also managed to drop in an Irish talking point on developing a legal pathway for migration between the US and Ireland.
Micheal signed off by insisting that Europe was still a good place to live.
Donald Trump has no idea who Catherine Connolly is
When asked to respond to comments by President Catherine Connolly – who criticised ‘deliberate assaults on international law’ in the Middle East and ‘the normalisation of war’ – Mr Trump said: ‘He’s lucky I exist, that’s all I can say.’
‘Because if you’re going to allow countries that are sick and demented – and they are demented – to have nuclear weapons, everybody in the whole world should be very thankful.’
It was notable that the Taoiseach did not correct Trump when he referred to the Irish President as ‘he’.
