President Trump greeted Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at the White House on Wednesday in the traditionally friendly annual meeting between the two world leaders to celebrate the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day.
Mr. Martin arrived at the White House and was given a warm welcome by Mr. Trump. The two men, who have conflicting views on Ukraine and trade, talked briefly when they met at the White House.
When a reporter asked Mr. Trump about the latest inflation numbers, he responded, “Very good news.”
Traditionally, the visit by the Irish premier, or Taoiseach, takes place on St. Patrick’s Day. The tradition began in 1953 under President Eisenhower.
The visit was a week early this year because of the congressional recess on March 17.
Mr. Martin and Mr. Trump will have an Oval Office sit-down in front of the cameras before disappearing from public view for a closed-door meeting. The two leaders will also participate in the House speaker’s lunch and a reception in the East Room on Wednesday evening.
Much of the discussion is expected to focus on Mr. Trump’s efforts to repatriate U.S.-owned companies, which employ about 11% of Irish workers. In addition, the funding of public services in Ireland is heavily reliant on the corporate tax that those multinationals pay. Just three big U.S. companies account for about one in every eight euros of total tax collected in Ireland, according to data by the Irish government.
Ireland also has a trade surplus with the United States, which puts it directly in Mr. Trump’s crosshairs. The president has vowed to bring back overseas jobs to the U.S. through his tariffs and has threatened to impose tariffs on pharmaceutical products, which is a major industry in Ireland.
Adding to the tensions was a contradiction between Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said a recent phone call with Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris included talks of the trade imbalance. However, Mr. Harris told reporters in Ireland that the trade imbalance wasn’t “specifically referenced.”
The war between Russia and Ukraine will also be a topic of conversation. Mr. Martin’s visit is the first by a foreign leader since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s combative Oval Office sit-down with Mr. Trump last month.
On Tuesday, the U.S. agreed to resume military aid to Ukraine after Kyiv agreed to a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the war.
Ireland is not a member of NATO and has not provided lethal aid to Ukraine, but has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in non-lethal aid. Mr. Martin has said Ireland could contribute more to the war-ravaged nation.
