{"id":355481,"date":"2026-03-20T03:44:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T03:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/355481\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T03:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T03:44:09","slug":"martin-emerges-unscathed-and-with-credit-from-trump-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/355481\/","title":{"rendered":"Martin emerges unscathed, and with credit, from Trump meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here, we have a look at the topics likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come.<\/p>\n

Martin pushes back, gently, against Trump<\/p>\n

Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin emerged unscathed from his St Patrick’s Day meeting with US president Donald Trump, and even pushed back on certain issues.<\/p>\n

He has earned praise for defending UK prime minister Keir Starmer, the European Union, migration, and Ukraine, after Trump hit many of his familiar soundbites.<\/p>\n

Still angry at the UK’s decision not the join his war on Iran, Trump used the Oval Office meeting to criticise Starmer who he said is “no Winston Churchill”.<\/p>\n

Martin told Trump Churchill had not been a friend to Ireland, before defending Starmer.<\/p>\n

He said Starmer is a “very earnest, sound person\u201d and he believes Trump has \u201ca capacity to get on with\u201d him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just met with Keir Starmer last week, the British-Irish relationship is a very important one. Churchill was a great wartime leader, although in Ireland it was kind of a different perspective in terms of our own war of independence and so on, he created his own bit of difficulties for us. But that said, he was a great wartime hero.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeir Starmer has done a lot to reset the Irish-British relationship. I just want to put that on the record.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I do believe that he is a very earnest, sound person that I think you have a capacity to get on with.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019ve got on with him before, and you\u2019ve got on with other European leaders as well and I think you have that capacity again.”<\/p>\n

Martin also defended immigration in the European Union after Trump launched a familiar attack on migration policies.<\/p>\n

The US media<\/a> gave Martin favourable reports for his performance.<\/p>\n

The New York Times\u00a0report that Martin “pushed back, gently” against Trump.<\/p>\n

The report notes it was a “delicate balance” for the Taoiseach, due to the importance of the Ireland-US relationship.<\/p>\n

Comparing the meeting to a recent one between Trump and German chancellor Friedrich Merz, The Times noted Martin’s Oval Office outing contained “some awkward silence as well”.<\/p>\n

However, it praised Martin for calling for peace in the Middle East and defending European allies.<\/p>\n

“Mr Martin walked a fine line. He denounced Iranian aggression, saying ‘you cannot have a rogue state with a nuclear weapon,’ and underlining that ‘all European countries’ have recognised Iran as a sponsor of terrorism. He also defended European responses.”<\/p>\n

USA Today\u00a0focused more so on the musings of Trump, however, the report notes his misgendering of President Catherine Connolly.<\/p>\n

“While meeting with the Irish prime minister at the White House, Trump was asked by a reporter to respond to Ireland\u2019s president saying the Iran war is illegal.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, he\u2019s lucky I exist, Trump said.<\/p>\n

“The president of Ireland is Catherine Connolly, who, like the acting Venezuelan president, is not a man.”<\/p>\n

The Huffington Post\u00a0also focused on Martin’s defence of Starmer in an “awkward” Oval Office meeting.<\/p>\n

The report also praises Martin for defending Ukraine.<\/p>\n

“The taoiseach also tried to appeal to Trump over Ukraine, as the president consistently \u2013 and falsely \u2013 blames Kyiv for starting the war.<\/p>\n

“‘The Russians did invade Ukraine, attack civilian infrastructure. The people of Ukraine just want peace and an opportunity to live,’ Martin said. ‘We want a peaceful resolution of conflict.’<\/p>\n

“His remarks show how the tide is turning against Trump across Europe at a time when Nato is desperately trying to stay out of the US\u2019s conflict in the Middle East.”<\/p>\n

Trump indicated he was hoping to visit Ireland while the Irish Open takes place at his resort in Doonbeg, Co Clare, in September.<\/p>\n

However,\u00a0The Washington Post\u00a0report focuses on the tone of the meeting, claiming it dashes any hopes of a visit. The headline reads\u00a0 ‘Trump attacks on European allies dash hopes for Irish visit’.<\/p>\n

It reads: “Trump proceeded to bash Ireland and the European Union for tariffs and tax policies that he blamed for hurting the United States \u2014 an on-camera dressing-down that gave Martin little opportunity for a confidential appeal, nor much chance to get a word in edgewise.”<\/p>\n

The Post focused on Trump’s criticism of US companies based in Ireland, while also noting Martin’s defence of Starmer and the European Union.<\/p>\n

The Rest Is Politics\u00a0podcast co-hosts\u00a0Alastair Campbell\u00a0and\u00a0Rory Stewart\u00a0have both complimented<\/a> Taoiseach\u00a0Miche\u00e1l Martin\u00a0for how he conducted himself in the meeting with US president\u00a0Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

Martin was forced to sit in silence for long periods, as all world leaders normally have to with Trump, but when he got a chance he was not afraid to push back.<\/p>\n

In notable moments he defended UK prime minister Keir Starmer, Europe and Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Campbell is a former journalist who worked as a strategist and adviser for former UK prime minister Tony Blair.<\/p>\n

He is often linked with the UK’s involvement with the Iraq war, and Starmer is currently facing the ire of Trump for refusing to let Britain become involved in the Iran war.<\/p>\n

Campbell wrote: “Well done @MichealMartinTD – speaking up for European allies. Speaking up for @Keir_Starmer Speaking up for Ukraine. And doing it in a way that kept the Orange Man Boy for several minutes. Happy St Patrick\u2019s Day.”<\/p>\n

Stewart is an academic and former diplomat and politician. He wrote: “A master mass here from Micheal Martin on how to speak fluently and diplomatically – while also standing up for values, peace and European allies.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin\u00a0 during a bilateral meeting with US president Donald Trump at the White House in Washington DC.<\/p>\n

Jim O’Callaghan gets Leaders’ Questions practice<\/p>\n

Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has been widely tipped as the successor to Martin.<\/p>\n

With the Taoiseach not yet home from the US, O’Callaghan got a chance to practice at Leaders’ Questions.<\/p>\n

He was forced to defend Martin’s visit to the Oval Office amid criticism from the Opposition.<\/p>\n

The Government \u201cwill act\u201d on rising energy costs, the Minister for Justice said, but could not indicate when that will happen.<\/p>\n

Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s leader Mary Lou McDonald said home heating oil had reached \u20ac900 for a half fill and \u201cpeople can\u2019t wait as Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael twiddle your thumbs\u201d.<\/p>\n

Energy costs<\/p>\n

The Government will finalise \u201can appropriate intervention\u201d to rising fuel and energy prices next week, the T\u00e1naiste has said.<\/p>\n

Simon Harris<\/a> said measures would be signed off at the next Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Speaking in the Dail, Harris said: \u201cThis Government understands the pressures families and businesses are under.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are feeling it at the pumps \u2013 where the cost of filling a car has risen considerably in the space of just over a fortnight \u2013 and they are seeing it in the cost of a fill of oil.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here, we have a look at the topics likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355482,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-355481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}