President Trump hosted Micheál Martin, the prime minister of Eire, on the White Home on Wednesday, with an escalating commerce dispute with Europe hovering over the same old pomp and circumstance.
Official Washington, dappled in inexperienced, feted Mr. Martin on the conventional go to forward of St. Patrick’s Day. However Mr. Trump gave no trace of backing down from actions which have prompted fissures within the trans-Atlantic alliance.
Within the Oval Workplace, Mr. Trump, seated subsequent to Mr. Martin, railed in opposition to the European Union’s commerce insurance policies and regulation of American corporations.
“The European Union treats us very badly, they usually have for years,” he mentioned.
Mr. Martin largely took a again seat throughout the assembly, searching for to keep away from the fireworks that erupted on the White Home two weeks in the past when Mr. Trump rebuked President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, casting him as ungrateful for U.S. support.
Listed below are three takeaways from Mr. Martin’s go to.
The president confirmed no indicators of fixing course on tariffs.
The inventory market has declined. Prime enterprise leaders are privately complaining. And even some Republicans are voicing concern. However Mr. Trump mentioned on Wednesday that he had no plans to vary his technique on sweeping tariffs.
Actually, Mr. Trump steered that he would possibly institute steeper levies after the European Union introduced billions of {dollars} in retaliatory tariffs.
“After all I’m going to reply,” he mentioned.
He added that Eire, too, was “after all” making the most of the USA, complaining in regards to the commerce imbalance between the 2 international locations.
Mr. Martin labored to keep away from Mr. Trump’s wrath.
After Mr. Trump sparred with Mr. Zelensky, Mr. Martin sought to avoid a confrontation with the president or Vice President JD Vance, who additionally attended Wednesday’s assembly. Even because the leaders disagree over essential points, notably Mr. Trump’s commerce coverage and his dealing with of the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Mr. Martin tried to keep away from discord at each flip.
Requested whether or not he deliberate to make use of the bilateral assembly to lift Eire’s place on the Israel-Gaza battle, the Irish chief mentioned: “The president may be very properly suited to know the entire scenario. We share the president’s unrelenting voice for peace.”
As Mr. Trump complained about Eire luring away U.S. pharmaceutical corporations with tax breaks, Mr. Martin emphasised that Irish corporations have been additionally investing in the USA.
“It’s a two-way road, too,” he mentioned. He mentioned the Irish airways Ryanair and AerCap have been collectively shopping for “extra Boeing airplanes than anyone else.”
“That’s good,” Trump responded, although he didn’t seem like notably enthused.
Mr. Trump turned to a few of his favourite subjects: golf, fighters and feuds.
As he criticized the European Union, Mr. Trump spoke of the challenges he confronted in getting approval from the bloc as he tried to develop his lodge and golf course in Eire. However the topic additionally served as a possibility to trumpet his household enterprise from the seat of American energy.
“It’s one of the extremely rated resorts in Europe,” he mentioned of Trump Worldwide Golf Hyperlinks within the village of Doonbeg.
Mr. Martin rapidly modified the topic to reward Mr. Trump’s property.
“You might have the excellence of being, I believe, the one president that has bodily invested in Eire via Doonbeg,” he mentioned, including, “It’s simply beautiful.”
Mr. Trump appreciated the praise. “I like this man,” he mentioned.
The president additionally spoke favorably of Conor McGregor, the combined martial arts fighter, when requested by a reporter to call his favourite Irish individual. However the reference might not have received over many skeptics in Eire. Mr. McGregor has had a string of authorized points, together with being held answerable for sexual assault.
“I do occur to love your fighter,” Mr. Trump mentioned. “He’s received the most effective tattoos I’ve ever seen.”
Lastly, Mr. Trump received a dig in at considered one of his favourite targets: Rosie O’Donnell. A correspondent for the right-wing information channel Actual America’s Voice requested Mr. Martin why he would enable Ms. O’Donnell to maneuver to Eire, after she confirmed this month that she had relocated there.
Mr. Martin appeared to shrug off the query, when Mr. Trump requested whether or not he knew who she was.
“You’re higher off not understanding,” Mr. Trump mentioned.
Megan Specia contributed reporting from London.
