TAOISEACH Michael Martin sat down yesterday with President Donald Trump for the annual St Patrick’s Day visit at the White House.
And there appeared to be no topic of conversation off the table as the two exchanged pleasantries.
With everything from Ireland’s ongoing housing crisis to Trump’s favourite Irish celebrity in the mix, many were left dumbfounded by the interaction.
Trump was last night gifted with a St Patrick’s Day bowl of shamrock by the Taoiseach and declared: “I love your country. I love it.”
The US President hailed “the long and unique friendship between Americans and the Irish” and added: “I love the Irish.
“I’ve had great, great friends over the years, and I love the Irish – special people – and I’ve been to Ireland many times.
“I’m always struck by the awesome beauty of the Emerald Isle and the strength and warmth and grit and grace of the Irish people. Very few people can compare.”
And Trump also said he wanted to visit Ireland.
He said: “I will. I’ll get there sometime. I hope soon. If we meet, we’ll meet at Doonbeg. I hope to be able to get there.”
Following the somewhat harrowing meeting, we have delved into five key takeaways from their chat.
MCGREGOR GETS A MENTION
As a room full of Irish journalists got their chance to ask the 47th President a question, one appeared to take the cake over others.
Trump was asked who is favourite Irish person is, opting to choose MMA fighter Conor McGregor as his answer.
He said: “I do happen to like your fighter.”
“He’s got the best tattoos I’ve ever seen,” he said referring to Mr McGregor.
“Conor’s great, right. But you have a lot of great Irish fighters actually, great fighters.”
It was then that Trump praised the Irish for their fighting skills, bringing up Martin’s dad, a former boxer.
Trump continued: “Ireland’s always had a lot of good fighters. You know why, because they’re tough people, they’re smart people and they’re passionate people.
“I think your father was a great fighter, right?”
Martin replied: “He was, yes. A very good defensive boxer. He was a good boxer, boxed for Ireland.”
To which Trump responded: “Genetically, I’m not going to mess around with you.”
HOUSING CRISIS
Many were left disappointed by the Taoiseach’s response when Trump declared Ireland’s housing crisis as a “good problem” to have.
There are currently 15,199 people living in emergency accommodation in Ireland, a new record high as of January this year.
This includes a total of 4,658 children in 2,168 families.
When asked about his thoughts on the “biggest issue” facing Ireland, Trump offered some advice.
He said: “Do you know why they have a housing crisis? Because they’re doing so well. The can’t produce houses fast enough.
“That’s a good problem, not a bad one. Everybody should have that problem.”
However, Martin caused controversy when he appeared to laugh in response before adding: “That’s a pretty good answer, Mr President.”
EU TARIFF THREAT
The annual meeting came as news broke of new EU tariffs from the US.
Ireland exported €72 billion of goods to the States last year, with most coming from American drug companies based here.
Trump told Martin that he was “lucky” that he wasn’t President when these companies first began trading in Ireland or he would’ve taxed them back to the States.
He told Martin: “When the pharmaceutical companies started to go to Ireland I would have said, ‘That’s OK if you want to go to Ireland, I think it’s great.
THE TRADITION OF PRESENTING SHAMROCK
THE presentation of shamrock to the White House has long been a symbol of the friendship between Ireland and the United States.
This tradition dates back to 1953, when Ambassador John Joseph Hearne, Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States from 1950-1960, first presented a bowl of shamrock to US President Dwight D Eisenhower.
Since then, the ceremony has continued annually through successive administrations.
Typically, the shamrock has been presented in an Irish-crafted bowl, which serves as a testament to Ireland’s ongoing tradition of craftsmanship, skill and attention to detail.
Shamrock has previously been presented in a silver bowl, with both options embodying Ireland’s commitment to excellence in design and artistry.
The first Taoiseach to present the shamrock was John A Costello in 1956 and since then, this ceremonial gesture has become an annual tradition conducted by the Taoiseach of the day.
For this year’s ceremony, the shamrock was provided by Living Shamrock, a company based in Ballinskelligs, County Kerry.
The fresh shamrock was grown and harvested for export with the required phytosanitary certifications.
The crystal bowl, was created by the House of Waterford is adorned with motifs that blend Irish heritage with craftsmanship.
The intricate patterning prominently features a trinity knot. This emblem is deeply rooted in Celtic culture and represents the eternal interconnectedness of life through its three interweaving loops. It is also an expression of unity, strength and endurance.
Waterford designers have introduced artful references to the United States to complement the trinity knot.
The 50-point star on the base represents the states of the union, for example, and delicately etched rosettes reflect the décor of the White House.
“But if you wanna sell anything into the US I’m going to put a 200 per cent tariff on you so you’re never going to be able to sell anything into the US.
“You know what they would have done? They would have stayed here.”
Trump also accused the EU of being “very bad” to America after Brussels announced €26 billion of tariffs on American goods, such as bourbon, motorbikes and boats, that enter the 27-country bloc.
This came after Trump imposed a 25 per cent tariff on all steel and aluminium coming from the EU into the States.
He went on to issue a threat to impose tariffs on European cars imported into the US and claimed he will “win the financial battle”.
He warned: “Whatever they charge us, we’ll charge them.”
APPLE GETS HIT
And Apple was defended heavily after losing their fight against an EU competition regulators order that stated they must pay €14 billion in unpaid taxes to Ireland.
Trump said: “Oh Apple’s been treated very badly,” before he insisted it “wasn’t a good lawsuit” and that the US “has a problem with the EU”.
Adding again it was another “financial battle” with the EU, he claimed they have “gone after our companies”.
BIG PHARMA & ‘STUPID LEADERS’
Many were left with concerns that Trump will attempt to bring US based pharmaceutical companies back to the States through taxes incentives.
He accused Ireland of stealing US drug firms with lower tax rates — and blamed America’s “stupid leaders” for letting it happen.
And Trump warned the “massive” trade deficit between the two nations needs to be addressed.
He said: “We do have a massive deficit with Ireland because Ireland was very smart. They took our pharmaceutical companies away from presidents that didn’t know what they were doing.
“It’s too bad that happened. It’s a tremendous job. The Irish are smart. You are smart people and you took our pharmaceutical companies and other companies through taxation.
“They made it very good for companies to move over there. We had presidents and people who were involved in this that had no idea what they were doing and they lost big segments of our economy.”
