President Donald Trump turned Irish leader Micheál Martin’s visit to the White House ahead of St. Patrick’s Day into another opportunity to insult a longtime American ally.
“You took our pharmaceutical companies and other companies,” Trump said. “This beautiful island of 5 million people has got the entire U.S. pharmaceutical industry in its grasps.”
Martin tried to diplomatically handle the insult as the two men sat in the Oval Office and patiently explained to Trump that trade between the two countries is a two-way street. Martin noted that more than 700 Irish companies have outposts in the U.S., employing thousands of people, contributing to the domestic economy.
Trump has shown throughout his political career that he has a limited understanding of economics on both the global and domestic level, and his recent push for tariffs has rocked global markets and increased fears of a recession.
The Oval Office insult is the second time in a row that Trump has made a mess of hosting a world leader. He incited domestic and international scorn after he and Vice President JD Vance insulted and demeaned Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and defended Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched war against Ukraine.
Following up on the Martin meeting, Trump threatened on social media that he would respond to recent European Union tariffs on U.S. goods like whiskey (which were a response to Trump’s tariffs). The proposed 200% tariff would affect Irish brands like Jameson, Bushmills, and Tullamore.
When he wasn’t insulting Martin, Trump told reporters that his favorite person in Ireland is MMA fighter Conor McGregor, praising him for having “the best tattoos I’ve ever seen.” The choice is notable because both men have a history of sexual assault. McGregor is also a supporter of far-right groups.
A jury found McGregor guilty of assaulting a woman in a Dublin hotel in 2018 and he later lost a civil rep case brought against him by the woman last year. Trump has been found liable for sexual abuse and he has admitted that he sexually assaulted women.
Trump also found the time to share how popular he was with Irish Americans, The Guardian reported. “I think the Irish love Trump,” he said. “We won the Irish with a tremendous amount of [their] vote. I got it locked up pretty good unless I did something very stupid, like drained your country, your wonderful place of all of its companies. Maybe [then] I’d lose the Irish vote.”
Trump has used his first few weeks back in the White House to upend historic alliances, attacking nations with storied friendships with the United States. Along with the Irish insult, Trump has started feuds with Canada, Mexico, and most of the European Union—while getting closer and closer to his political benefactor, Russia.
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