Donald Trump said he felt he had 'Irish blood' during the White House's St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Bowl presentation with Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Tuesday. The remark cut through a ceremony otherwise devoted to diplomatic ties between the US and Ireland.
Martin's visit followed the well worn St. Patrick's Day custom in which the Irish leader meets the US president, with this year's schedule also including breakfast with Vice President JD Vance, a bilateral meeting and the shamrock ceremony later in the day. RTÉ reported that the Oval Office meeting was quickly drawn into wider geopolitical questions, particularly around Iran, even as both sides publicly praised the strength of the US Irish relationship.
