US president Donald Trump and Taoiseach Micheál Martin have arrived in the East Room of the White House for the shamrock ceremony as part of Mr Martin’s St Patrick’s Day itinerary in the US.
Among those in attendance was Riverdance star Michael Flatley — described by Mr Trump as “one of the greatest dancers in the world”.
TDs Mattie McGrath and James O’Connor were also in the crowd.
“We have 5m people living in Ireland, but we have 35m people living here of Irish decent,” Mr Trump said at the event, adding that the bonds between both countries go back to the foundation of the US.
Introducing the Taoiseach, Mr Trump joked: “He’s a very, very special man, he’s very popular, which isn’t easy in Ireland.”
Beginning his remarks, the Taoiseach said the histories of the US and Ireland are “interconnected because our people are interconnected today”.
“Across the United States, men and women go to work every morning in Irish-owned companies. These companies play a key role in the US economy, operating in every sector in every state,” he said.
“We build prosperity through free and fair trade with partners all over the world and, continuing here in these United States, let us continue to build on that foundation, bringing ever-growing prosperity.”
Mr Martin added:
“Let us continue to work together to make sure that we maintain that hugely beneficial two-way economic relationship that’s allowed innovation and creativity and prosperity to thrive.”
The Taoiseach said that the story of peace in Ireland is “one that we wrote together” and that, when the “mighty United Stated puts its shoulder to the wheel, there is no mountain it can not move.”
Mr Martin also commended the US president on his efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, adding that Ireland is ready to work with the US to bring peace in Ukraine and the Middle East.
“Too many children, in particular, have died in Gaza, in Israel, in Sudan, and too many children have been killed in Ukraine,” the Taoiseach added.
Trump accuses Ireland of stealing US pharmaceutical industry in meeting with Taoiseach
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Martin had met Mr Trump in the Oval Office.
Ireland “took pharmaceutical and other companies away [from America] through taxation”, US president Donald Trump said in his Oval Office meeting with Micheál Martin.
Speaking as the two leaders met ahead of Wednesday’s Shamrock Ceremony, Mr Trump said the US was going to “take back what was stolen from it” and would “take back” companies from the likes of Ireland as he seeks to ramp up an economic war with neighbours Canada and Mexico and the European Union.
Mr Trump said he “respects” Ireland’s moves on corporation tax, saying his own country was “stupid” to allow multinationals move to Ireland. He said he would be working to bring those companies back to the US, but said Mr Martin would be “fighting him” on this.
“The United States of America is going to take back a lot of what was stolen from it by other countries and by, frankly, incompetent US leadership, grossly incompetent. I gave you an example of Ireland. I would have never let that happen.”
Mr Trump said he would have said “fine” to pharmaceutical companies that wanted to set up in Ireland decades ago, but he would have made it unviable.
“When the pharmaceutical company started to go to Ireland, I would have said that’s OK. If you want to go to Ireland, I think it’s great, but if you want to sell anything into the United States, I’m going to put a 200% tariff on you so you’re never going to be able to sell anything into the United States.”
He said Democrats “should get with us and come up with good tax policy so that Ireland and other countries can’t take our businesses away from us”.
“I’m not upset with you,” Mr Trump said to the Taoiseach. “I think I respect what you’ve done. You’ve done a great job, but our people did a very bad job recently.”
He also said America would not “do anything to hurt Ireland”.
Mr Martin said the relationship between the two countries was a “two-way street”.
“We are investing a lot more in America now,” he said, stating that Ryanair and Aercap, the world’s biggest aircraft leasing company, are the biggest purchasers of Boeing aircraft “than anybody else outside of America”.
“It is a little known fact. It doesn’t turn up on different statistics,” he said.
Asked if Apple should relocate part of its operations from Cork to the US, Mr Trump said the company had been “treated very badly” by the EU in relation to the tax case which saw the company forced to pay €14bn to Ireland.
The US president also said that “the Irish love Trump”.
“I got the Irish vote. I think I have it locked up pretty good unless I did something very stupid, like drain your country, your wonderful place, of all of its companies. No, I love [Ireland]. I’ve been there many times as you know, and we don’t want to do anything to hurt Ireland. But we do want fairness and he [Mr Martin] understands.”
Asked what advice he has for Mr Martin in relation to building homes to solve the housing crisis, Mr Trump said that Ireland had a crisis because it is “doing so well”. He said: “They’re doing so well, they can’t produce houses fast enough”.
Mr Martin interjected to say that was a “good answer”. Mr Trump, gesturing to Mr Martin, added: “I know this gentleman, he’ll get it solved.”
The Taoiseach was asked how he would “make Ireland great again” and he replied by saying housing is the number one issue for his Government.
“The number one issue in Ireland is housing, to be honest, and I think was correctly pointed out, we’ve got to build more houses.
“We’ve got to build them faster to give the young people of Ireland an opportunity to afford to buy a house or to afford to rent a house. A lot of our good things are happening. That’s my number one priority.”
Mr Trump also said he had not heard that some Northern Ireland political parties have decided to boycott St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Washington over his administration’s stance on Gaza.
Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Alliance had ruled out attending such events.
Asked about the boycotts while meeting Mr Martin in the Oval Office, Mr Trump told reporters: “I haven’t heard that, I really haven’t heard that”.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has arrived at the West Wing of the White House for a bilateral meeting with US president Donald Trump.
Mr Trump greeted Mr Martin outside and the pair shook hands, ahead of their sit-down engagement in the Oval Office which is likely to focus on Ireland’s trading relationship with the US.
The Taoiseach has said he intends to highlight a “two-way street” of investment between the nations in a bid to address concerns the president may voice around a US-Ireland trade imbalance.
The meeting comes amid heightened concern that Mr Trump’s protectionist approach to tariffs and tax could pose a significant risk to an Irish economy that is in large part sustained by long-standing investment by US multinationals.
Mr Trump will later be presented with a bowl of shamrock as the centrepiece of the Irish Government’s major overseas diplomatic push in the run-up to St Patrick’s Day on March 17.
The Taoiseach has arrived back at Blair House, opposite the White House, after his breakfast meeting with Mr Vance.
He is due to meet US president Donald Trump in the next hour.
Having invited the US vice president to visit Ireland, Taoiseach Micheál Martin made a point of extending the invite to his native Co Cork.
He referenced a previous road trip to Ireland by JD Vance and his wife Usha, where they visited the Ring of Kerry, Skibbereen in Co Cork, Cashel in Co Tipperary and Dublin.
“We would be honoured and delighted to welcome you both back to our shores before too long,” Mr Martin said at the vice president’s residence in Washington DC.
Mr Martin added that he would particularly like to bring Mr Vance back to Cork City’s English Market.
“Now, the vice president did say the road trip could be somewhat difficult next time around, given the number of vehicles that might have to be attached.” Mr Martin said he understood Mr Vance plays golf and referenced US president Donald Trump’s golf course in Doonbeg, Co Clare.
“We have some exceptional courses in Ireland, one of which – in a remote and beautiful part of Ireland called Doonbeg – President Trump could tell you a thing or two about playing.”
US vice president JD Vance has stressed the importance of the relationship with Ireland by showing off his shamrock-themed socks to the Taoiseach.
Micheál Martin is attending a breakfast at the Naval Observatory, the official residence of the vice president, ahead of his meeting with US president Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
Addressing the group, Mr Vance said he had enjoyed a trip to Ireland with his wife Usha and hopes to return before pulling up his trousers to reveal a pair of Irish-themed socks.
After referring to his 2023 trip to Ireland, which he said he took “on a lark”, Mr Vance said he hoped his socks weren’t noticed in the Oval Office.
During what was a warm engagement, Mr Vance added: “The president is a very big fan of conservative dress, and so if he notices these socks, you have to defend this as an important part of cementing the Irish-American relationship”.
“One of the things we try to do with this breakfast is just remind people of the important bonds of friendship between the United States and Ireland.”
Speaking about the Irish-American relationship, Mr Vance said: “I think one of the more robust areas for us to work on with our Irish friends in the years to come is going to be technology, in particular artificial intelligence as we take the next stage in an important level of technological progress.”
The Taoiseach invited Mr Vance to return to Ireland and focused on peace in his speech. He thanked Mr Vance for his “warm welcome and hospitality” and joked that he would need to “adjust very rapidly” his “conservative” dress sense after seeing Mr Vance’s socks.
“The United States has been a steadfast friend of Ireland for centuries. Indeed, the United States was the first country to recognise our long, soft independence,” Mr Martin said. “Together, we have built deep and enduring political, cultural and economic bonds, greatly enriching our two nations in the process.”
Earlier, as the lilt of an Irish fiddle wafted out, US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr caused a flutter when he arrived at the site of the residence just moments before the Taoiseach.
12.35pm
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has been greeted by JD Vance at the US vice president’s residence to kick off a day of engagements to mark St Patrick’s Day.
Mr Martin and his wife Mary were met by Mr Vance and his wife Usha at the US Naval Observatory ahead of a breakfast meeting.
Mr Martin will have a breakfast meeting with Mr Vance at the US Naval Observatory on Wednesday morning.
Later on, the Taoiseach will go to the West Wing of the White House, where he will hold a bilateral meeting with Mr Trump in the Oval Office.
The Fianna Fáil leader will then travel to the US Capitol building for the Friends of Ireland luncheon hosted by House Speaker Mike Johnson before returning to the White House for the traditional shamrock ceremony.
Mr Martin will be the first EU leader to meet Mr Trump following the proposals for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine and the lifting of the US suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
Micheál Martin has said that a “two-way street” of investment is something he intends to highlight in his discussions with Donald Trump in a bid to address concerns he may voice around a trade imbalance between the two countries.
The meeting comes amid heightened concern that Mr Trump’s protectionist approach to tariffs and tax could pose a significant risk to an Irish economy that is in large part sustained by long-standing investment by US multinationals.
Other matters of concern which may be raised in some format on Wednesday include legal status for undocumented Irish citizens living in the US, as well as the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
