As Irish leader Micheal Martin sat down beside Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday, with a spray of shamrocks tucked neatly into his suit’s breast pocket, he must have been acutely aware that things had not gone so well for the previous occupant of his chair.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s sit-down with the US president and Vice-President JD Vance two weeks earlier [had morphed into a shouting match before the world’s media](/link/follow-20170101-p5lg30) that ended with Zelensky being asked to leave the White House. And only hours before Martin’s visit, the European Union – which includes Ireland – had also imposed tariffs on €26 billion ($45 billion) worth of US goods in retaliation for Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminium.
Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheal Martin meets US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday.Credit: AP
But while Trump directed the occasional barb at the Irish taoiseach during the one-hour meeting, and added Ireland to the list of countries that he says are taking advantage of the United States, his meeting with Martin was a more congenial affair, and Vance’s most notable input proved to be his choice of socks.
At one point, as Trump talked about inflation, the president became distracted by the shamrock prints covering his vice-president’s ankles – a wardrobe selection made in honour of Martin’s visit and St Patrick’s Day on Monday.
“By the way, I love these socks,” the president declared, drawing chuckles from those in the room. “What’s with these socks? I’m trying to stay focused, but I’m very impressed with the VP’s socks.”
Trump has been sparring with US allies and adversaries alike over trade, slapping double-digit tariffs on imports from countries including Canada, China and Australia, and Ireland was not spared during the Oval Office meeting with Martin, with Trump repeating his claim that the European Union was created just to stick it to the US.
Asked if Ireland was taking advantage, too, Trump said “of course they are”, before turning to the concentration of US pharmaceutical companies in Ireland, who moved there for the country’s tax policies.
“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 and it’s too bad that happened,” Trump said.