President Donald Trump welcomed Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin on Wednesday for the annual St. Patrick's Day celebration at the White House, where he added Ireland to the list of countries he says are taking advantage of the United States.
Martin countered by noting Ireland's contributions to the U.S.
It was Trump's first Oval Office meeting with a foreign leader since his recent sit-down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which morphed into a shouting match as they jousted over ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The session ended with Zelenskyy being asked to leave the White House.
Martin, who offered only gentle pushback to some of Trump's comments, returned to the White House in the evening and presented Trump with a bowl of shamrocks at an early St. Patrick's Day celebration. The duo also attended an annual luncheon at the Capitol.
The president's banter during the Oval Office meeting also touched on Vice President JD Vance's shamrock-themed socks and Trump nemesis Rosie O’Donnell 's recent move to Ireland.
The Republican president has been sparring with U.S. allies and adversaries alike over trade, slapping double-digit tariffs on imports from countries from Canada to China and in between. During the appearance with Martin, Trump repeated his claim that the European Union was created just to stick it to the U.S.
Asked if Ireland, a member of the EU, was taking advantage, too, Trump said, “of course they are. I have great respect for Ireland and what they did and they should have done just what they did, but the United States shouldn’t have let it happen.” He was referring to the concentration of U.S. pharmaceutical companies in Ireland, due to the country's tax policies.
“We had stupid leaders. We had leaders that didn’t have a clue or let’s say they weren’t businesspeople, but they didn’t have a clue what was happening and all of a sudden Ireland has our pharmaceutical companies," Trump said.
Martin countered that the trade relationship is “a two-way street,” adding that Ireland's two largest airlines buy more aircrafts from Boeing Co. than anyone else outside of America.
More than 700 Irish companies are also based in America, creating thousands of jobs, Martin said. “That's a little known fact that doesn't turn up in the statistics,” he added.
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“I understand where you're coming from, fully,” Martin told Trump, “but I think it's a relationship that we can develop and that will endure into the future.”
At one point, Trump became distracted as he talked about inflation in the U.S.
“By the way, I love these socks. What’s with these socks? I’m trying to stay focused, but I’m very impressed with the VP’s socks,” Trump said, drawing chuckles from others in the room.
Vance had worn socks patterned with small green shamrocks as a nod to Martin's visit.
When a reporter asked Martin why his country would let O'Donnell move there, Trump jumped at the opening.
“I like that question,” the president said, adding that Martin was ”better off not knowing” about O'Donnell.
O'Donnell, a comedian and former talk-show host, and Trump have feuded for years. O’Donnell, who is gay, recently announced that she moved to Ireland in January, citing a lack of equal rights in America.
Trump found a way to sneak his penchant for professional fighting into the discourse.
As the meeting wrapped, Trump was asked to name his favorite person in Ireland. Trump referred to Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, partly because "he's got the best tattoos I’ve ever seen.”
Trump is well known for his support of Ultimate Fighting Championship and attended bouts during the 2024 presidential campaign.
He noted that Martin’s father was an acclaimed boxer, but motioned to Martin saying, “You’re so smooth,” suggesting he did not look like a boxer.
“I’m a pretty good defensive boxer,” Martin joked in reply.