Ireland, which has taken a strong stance on the Gaza massacre, is similarly firm on Iran, but Martin has been criticized for inaction.
Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin met with US President Donald Trump during his annual St Patrick’s Day visit to Washington, DC, delicately pushing back against the latter’s stances on a range of issues from Iran to UK Prime Minister Keir Stormer.
The leaders’ sit-in in the Oval Office on Tuesday came in the wake of the resignation of US counterterrorism chief Joe Kent and Trump’s backlash against NATO allies over the US and Israel’s war on Iran.
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The 65-year-old Taoiseach – Irish for prime minister – was under political pressure to talk tough to Trump about war with Iran. But as the Irish Times newspaper noted, he was “effectively silent” for the first 20 minutes as the US president raised a number of grievances, including the resignation of Kent, the director of the US National Counter-Terrorism Centre.
Noting Trump’s accusation that NATO made a “stupid mistake” by not supporting the US, the Irish prime minister, whose country is not a NATO member, tried a diplomatic approach.
“I’m sure European leaders and the US administration will engage, and hopefully, we can get a landing zone,” he said, implying common ground.
Later, Trump complained that if the US helps Ukraine, “they won’t help Iran”, going on to unload a long list of grievances against Iran’s leaders, calling them “bad people going back to Hitler” and Europe.
Ireland, which joined South Africa’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, has taken a similarly firm stance on Iran. Of some interest was Trump’s response to Irish President Catherine Connolly’s remarks that the US-Israeli war against Iran was illegal under international law.
Asked what he thought of Connolly’s comments, Trump said he didn’t know the Irish president was a woman. “Look, he’s lucky I exist,” he said.
Martin did not correct him.
Another thorny moment came when Trump criticized the United Kingdom’s Stormer for failing to help him in Iran.
“I believe he is a very diligent, good person,” Martin said. “We think you are capable of having (with him); you have had with him before.”
While Trump returned to a favorite remark on Stormer, who said Stormer was “not Winston Churchill” while pointing to a statue of British wartime leader Winston Churchill, Martin gently highlighted the former leader’s controversial role during Ireland’s war of independence from Britain.
“In Ireland, it was a different perspective,” he laughed, touching Trump on the arm. “He created his own problems for us.”
In Ireland, opposition politicians criticized Martin’s inaction, suggesting he missed an opportunity to call for US and Israeli action on Iran.
“The Taoiseach should have been very clear with the US administration about the importance of international law and how the US actions breached it. The Taoiseach chose not to take this opportunity to say this publicly,” said Sinn Féin MLA Donnchad O Laoghaire, according to The Irish Times.
However, as the newspaper noted, the Irish Prime Minister’s polite but firm approach demonstrated “the ability to gently deflect and resist in a conversational manner”.
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