On Wednesday, President Donald Trump hosted Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at the White House for the annual St. Patrick's Day celebration. During the event, Trump claimed that Ireland was among the countries benefiting from the United States. In response, Martin highlighted Ireland's positive contributions to the US.

It was Trump's first meeting with a foreign leader in the Oval Office since he recently met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which turned into a heated argument over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. After the meeting, Zelenskyy was asked to vacate the White House. Martin, who mildly challenged some of Trump's remarks, visited the White House again in the evening and presented Trump with a bowl of shamrocks during an early St. Patrick's Day celebration. Later, they both attended the annual luncheon at the Capitol. During their Oval Office meeting, Trump also joked about Vice President JD Vance's shamrock-patterned socks and mentioned his long-time critic Rosie O'Donnell's recent move to Ireland.

The Republican president has been clashing with both US allies and rivals over trade, imposing high tariffs on imports from various countries, including Canada and China. During his appearance with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Trump repeated his claim that the European Union was formed to disadvantage the United States. When asked if Ireland, an EU member, was also taking advantage of the US, Trump responded, "Of course they are." He added that he respects Ireland and acknowledged that their actions were smart. However, he criticised the US for allowing it to happen, referring to the fact that many American pharmaceutical companies have moved to Ireland because of the country's favourable tax policies.

"We had stupid leaders. We had leaders that didn't have a clue or let's say they weren't business people, but they didn't have a clue what was happening and all of a sudden Ireland has our pharmaceutical companies," Trump said.

Martin responded by emphasising that trade works both ways. He pointed out that Ireland's two biggest airlines purchase more planes from Boeing Co. than any other company outside the United States. "More than 700 Irish companies are also based in America, creating thousands of jobs, Martin said. That's a little-known fact that doesn't turn up in the statistics," he added. "I understand where you're coming from, fully, Martin told Trump, but I think it's a relationship that we can develop and that will endure into the future."

"By the way, I love these socks. What's with these socks? I'm trying to stay focused, but I'm very impressed with the VP's socks," Trump said, drawing chuckles from others in the room. Vance wore socks decorated with small green shamrocks to honour Martin's visit. When a reporter asked Martin why his country allowed O'Donnell to relocate there, Trump quickly responded to the question. 

I like that question, the president said, adding that Martin was better off not knowing about O'Donnell. O'Donnell, a comedian and former talk-show host, and Trump have feuded for years. O'Donnell, who is gay, recently announced that she moved to Ireland in January, citing a lack of equal rights in America. Trump managed to incorporate his interest in professional fighting into the conversation.

Trump was asked to select his favourite Irish person as the conference came to an end. Trump mentioned Conor McGregor, an Irish mixed martial arts fighter, in part because "he has the best tattoos I've ever seen." Trump, known for his support of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, attended fights during the 2024 presidential campaign. He mentioned that Martin's father was a famous boxer, but then pointed to Martin and said, "You're so smooth," implying that Martin didn’t look like a boxer.

"I'm a pretty good defensive boxer," Martin joked in reply.