Well, that went well.
An Oval Office meeting that in any other St Patrick’s week would have been regarded as almost unimaginably confrontational – but this time round the Irish delegation will be floating on air.
Micheal Martin was in the lion’s den today, the first leader to step into the Oval Office since President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s verbal bloodbath.
You could forgive the Irish PM for being apprehensive.
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This was always going to be the most important visit of a Taoiseach to the White House in generations. What is usually a jovial green-tinged occasion was this year imbued with a new sense of gravity and nervousness.
Pic: AP
The Irish government knew it was in the president’s crosshairs – any small country that boasts a huge trade surplus with the US was bound to be a target for this administration.
American figures put that surplus in goods at around €80bn (£67bn) last year, although Irish statisticians insist it was a mere €50bn (£42bn)… but still a record.
In the Oval Office, I managed to ask the US president if Ireland was taking advantage of America. “Of course they are,” he replied.
But Donald Trump is at heart a businessman, and it sounded more like a sneaking admiration.
“I have great respect for Ireland, and what they did,” he added.
Donald Trump and Michael Martin spoke to reporters in the Oval Office. Pic: PA
Ireland did exactly what they should have done, he continued, referencing the luring of lucrative US multinationals.
However, he placed the blame firmly on “stupid” American leaders who “allowed” it to happen. Mr Martin sat beside him, saying nothing.
The EU, however, was set up to exploit America, Mr Trump claimed. It was “abuse”. Again and again, it was the Brussels bogeyman, not the Emerald Isle, that bore the brunt of his attack.
I asked if he would respond to the EU’s new retaliatory tariffs with yet more tariffs. “Of course”, President Trump responded.
After an anecdote about the lack of Chevrolets in Munich, I asked if he would now consider tariffs on the crucial European car industry – he replied in the affirmative.
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Mr Martin sat beside him, saying nothing. When the Taoiseach did speak, it was to hit Dublin’s talking points – the Irish-US relationship was a “two-way street”, with the Irish currently the sixth-largest investor in the US.
“Just look how many Boeings Ryanair is purchasing” was the theme of Mr Martin’s argument.
The men joked about the Taoiseach’s boxer father. President Trump spoke admiringly of Conor McGregor and Rory McIlroy. The minutes ticked away… Ireland was left unscathed.
They finished with a discussion about the president’s Irish resort at Doonbeg in County Clare. President Trump lauded the Irish efficiency in approving an expansion plan and decried the subsequent EU approval period of several years.
Once again: Ireland good, Brussels bad.
There was so much nervousness in Irish government circles. Now they must be wondering what the fuss was all about.
