Latest news with #FriendsofIreland
Glasgow Times
21-07-2025
- General
- Glasgow Times
Irish republican march to take place in Glasgow next month
Hundreds are expected to take part in the march in the East End and Southside, organised by Cairde Na hEireann. Around 200 people, including bands, are estimated to be at the march on Saturday, August 2 with many more following along. READ NEXT:Scottish Greens reveal candidate list rankings for Holyrood elections The parade will leave Barrowlands Park, east of Glasgow Cross and head along Gallowgate onto Moir Street, London Road, Trongate, down Saltmarket to cross the River Clyde and onto Laurieston Road, along Cathcart Road and Queens Drive to end at Queens Park Rec. It is due to set off from Barrowlands Park at 1.30pm. Cairde Na hEireann (Friends of Ireland) organises several marches in the city each year. The group describes itself as an 'Irish Republican group organising within the Irish community in Scotland in support of Sinn Féin.' It holds parades to commemorate the Easter Rising in Ireland and also the 1981 IRA and INLA prison hunger strikes. Saturday, August 2, will be busy for parades in the Southside and East End. Earlier in the day, at 11.30, The ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) is parading from Barrowlands Park. It estimates 150 people will take part in the procession through the city centre to the West End. They will walk along Moir Street, London Road, Trongate, Glassford Street, Ingram Street, South Fredrick Street, George Square (south), St Vincent Place, St Vincent Street, West Nile Street, Bath Street, Berkeley Street, Claremont Street, Sauchiehall Street, Clifton Street and into Kelvingrove Park at La Belle Place. READ NEXT: All the latest changes to Glasgow city centre streets explained Further east, around 250 people are due to take part in a parade by Camlachie Loyal Star Flute Band at 1pm, leaving from Quarryknowe Street and marching on Westmuir Street, Shettleston Road, Kenmore Street, Old Shettleston Road, Chester Street, Shettleston Road, Westmuir Street and back to Quarryknowe Street. In the Southside, Govanhill Baths Community Trust will hold a parade at 1pm, from Queen's Park at the Victoria Road gates, down Victoria Road and then on Allison Street, Cathcart Road, Calder Street, South Annandale Street, Govanhill Street, Inglefield Street and ending at Govanhill Park. Also on the same day in the city, the [[West End]] Somme Association will have a parade from Haugh Road, Argyle Street, Dumbarton Road, Smith Street to Northinch Street
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
America celebrates Irish culture and politics on St. Patrick's Day
Americans once again donned their green beads and shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day, celebrating the largest Irish diaspora in the world. St. Patrick's Day has become an opportunity for Ireland and the United States to celebrate their rich cultural and political connections. New York City is hosting its 264th St. Patrick's Day Parade today – marking the oldest and longest standing St. Patrick's Day parade in the world. The first parade was held in 1762, predating America's Declaration of Independence. Major cities across the United States hosted their own St. Patrick's Day parades this weekend – including Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Chicago. Chicago even dyes the Chicago River green each year to mark the celebration. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson kicked off the Irish celebrations last week by welcoming Taoiseach Micheál Martin to the White House. Irish Leaders Boycott Washington St Patrick's Day Events Over Trump's Gaza Comments "America's truly been blessed by the courage and unstoppable spirit of the Irish," Trump said at the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon on Wednesday. "Over the generations, Americans of Irish ancestry have helped build our railroads and raise our cities and man our factories, enrich our culture with art and music and literature – we see that all over – and protect our communities by joining the proud tradition of Irish-American police officers and firefighters. And few have done more for the Stars and Stripes than the sons and daughters of the Emerald Isle." Read On The Fox News App President Trump Slams Rosie O'donnell After She Flees Us: 'You're Better Off Not Knowing' Her While the first wave of Irish immigrants arrived in the United States in the 1700s, immigration reports reveal the Great Famine in the 1800s nearly doubled the population of Irish in the United States – as over a million Irish died from starvation while another million immigrated to the United States. Trump, a native New Yorker, spoke with pride of New York City's St. Patrick's Day parade, watching "hundreds of citizens decked in Irish green" marching up Fifth Avenue and past "the most beautiful cathedral in the world," St. Patrick's Cathedral. The Taoiseach's trip to Washington, D.C., began with a breakfast at the vice president's residence, followed by the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon and a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office answering questions from reporters. "Irish America has been at the heart of shaping this great nation. The ideals of liberty, democracy and equality of opportunity forged in this country did much to inspire Irish independence. Our histories are interconnected because our people are interconnected. Today, as the president has said, more than 30 million people claim Irish ancestry in the United States," Martin said. The celebratory events were not without some political tension when Trump said the United States has a "massive deficit" with Ireland because they "took our pharmaceutical companies away from presidents who didn't know what they were doing." Trump said the European Union, which includes Ireland, "treats us very badly." Martin countered Trump's comments, saying, "It's a two-way street to where we are investing a lot more in America now." However, Trump maintained that reciprocal tariffs were only fair. Martin presented Trump with a crystal bowl filled with shamrocks, a tradition that dates back to 1952 to symbolize the long-standing friendship between Ireland and the United States. Martin said the Shamrock Bowl ceremony is "an important moment to reflect upon the relationship between our two countries." Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and fellow Irish-American lawmakers began the Friends of Ireland Caucus and Luncheon in 1981, during "The Troubles." "The Troubles" were a period of political and sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s and 1998. Irish Republicans, who were predominately Catholic, sought a united Ireland, while Unionists, who were mostly Protestant, wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom. When Britain tried to enforce military conscription in Ireland during World War I, Irish nationalists, labor unions and the Catholic Church united in opposition. As support for Irish independence grew, Sinn Féin, an Irish nationalist party, gained popularity following the 1916 Easter Rising. After winning a majority in the general election in 1918, Sinn Féin declared Irish independence and established the First Dáil, or the Irish Parliament. But Britain refused to recognize Irish independence, leading the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to launch the Irish War of Independence in 1919. The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 ended the war and created the Irish Free State, which became the Republic of Ireland in 1949 and allowed the six counties of Northern Ireland to remain in the United Kingdom. Catholics in Northern Ireland faced discrimination from the unionist government, who favored Protestants. Inspired by the Civil Rights movement, Catholics began peaceful protests demanding equal rights in Northern Ireland in the 1960s. Conflicts between the unionist government and nationalist protesters escalated into "The Troubles" – 30 years of violence between British soldiers and the IRA. The United States was instrumental in ending "The Troubles" in 1998. Former President Bill Clinton helped negotiate the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which largely ended the violence in Ireland by establishing a power-sharing agreement between unionists and nationalists – strengthening the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Martin on Wednesday said former President Ronald Reagan initiated the United States' role in the peace process, as the first U.S. president to visit Ireland. The Reagan administration helped develop the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985, which laid the groundwork for the Good Friday Agreement. "Nowhere is the strength of the U.S.-Irish relationship more in evident than in our own peace process. 44 years ago, President Reagan called for a just and peaceful solution to the conflict that has for so long devastated lives on our island. Politicians from both sides of the aisle rose to the occasion, and the lasting peace we enjoyed today on our island is a signature achievement of U.S. foreign policy, and this story of peace is one that we both wrote together," Martin said. Martin commended Trump for leading peace negotiations in Ukraine and the Middle East during his visit to Washington, following Trump's contentious meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office last month. "We are ready to play our part in supporting work, to end conflict and to secure peace in the Ukraine, or in the Middle East or wherever. We welcome very much the unrelenting focus and effort that President Trump and his administration has brought to this task from his very first days in office," Martin added. Yet, there were Irish officials who disagreed with Martin's sentiment and boycotted the events at the White House last week. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill skipped St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the U.S. this year to protest Trump's calling for the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. Trump said during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. would "take over the Gaza Strip." Trump also suggested relocating Palestinians to rebuild Gaza as the "Riviera of the Middle East." When reporters asked Trump about the boycott during the press conference in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said, "I really haven't heard that." However, Trump also seemed to walk back his Gaza comments, telling a reporter: "Nobody's expelling any Palestinians." Ireland is a long-time supporter of Palestinian independence, as many Irish draw parallels with the British occupation of Ireland. Ireland has advocated for full Palestinian statehood and a two-state solution throughout the war in Gaza. Irish citizens have vocally opposed the war in Gaza and consistently protested in support of Palestinians since the war article source: America celebrates Irish culture and politics on St. Patrick's Day
Al Jazeera
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Key takeaways from Irish leader Micheal Martin's visit with Donald Trump
The prime minister of Ireland, Micheal Martin, is the latest European leader to visit United States President Donald Trump during his second term in the White House. But the occasion was a markedly light-hearted one: to hold receptions and events in advance of St Patrick's Day, a popular Irish holiday held each year on March 17. Still, Wednesday's visit was clouded by many of the same looming issues that accompanied other European leaders to the White House, among them Russia's war in Ukraine and the fate of the delicate ceasefire in Gaza. Trump took up much of the spotlight, holding court in an Oval Office sit-down. As the US president took questions from the news media, Martin appeared relatively silent. When he did speak, Martin offered warm praise for the Irish-American alliance and the historic ties between the two countries. He also touted Trump's self-professed role as a peacemaker, as did French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer when they visited the White House in late February. 'Mr President, we are forever grateful for the United States' contribution to transforming our island,' Martin said at a luncheon for the Friends of Ireland, a group of bipartisan US lawmakers. 'We wish you well in the efforts that you are making to bring peace to the Ukraine and to the Middle East and further afield.' Here are five takeaways from their meeting today at the White House. A relatively warm visit, despite boycotts The atmosphere was decidedly cosier than some of Trump's other recent visits. Since taking office, Trump has welcomed a stream of world leaders, including King Abdullah II of Jordan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with whom he had a shouting match. Both leaders came in the context of seeking assurances about US cooperation in regional conflicts: the war in Ukraine and Israel's war in Gaza. But with Martin – known by the title taoiseach, Irish for 'chief' – the stakes were somewhat lower. During their Oval Office sit-down, Martin's conversation with Trump meandered to the US president's luxury Doonbeg golf resort, situated on Ireland's west coast. ' I'd just say, president, you have the distinction of being, I think, the only president that has physically invested in Ireland through your Doonbeg,' Martin said, as Trump tried to interject. 'I love this guy,' Trump replied, pointing a thumb at Martin. Trump responded with his own form of flattery, invoking Martin's family history as the son of a famous boxer – and toeing Irish stereotypes about fighting. 'I know so many Irish fighters. They like to fight, and they are damn good at it too,' Trump said at the luncheon, before turning to Martin. 'His father was a great fighter, actually. So that means, genetically, I'm not going to mess around with you. You understand? I'm a believer in that.' Trump's vice president, JD Vance, even wore shamrock socks and a green tie to mark the occasion. But at one point during the visit, a journalist did confront Trump about some notable absences from this year's St Patrick's Day festivities. Irish parties like Sinn Fein had announced last month that they would boycott the events in Washington, DC, over Trump's stance on Gaza. ' What are they boycotting?' Trump asked. When the journalist explained, Trump shrugged it off. ' I haven't heard that.' Trump uses 'Palestinian' as a slur, dismisses ethnic cleansing concerns Trump has previously said he would like the US to 'own' the war-torn territory and permanently displace its Palestinian residents, in a move critics liken to ethnic cleansing. But in recent weeks, the US president has backed away from that proposal. In an interview on February 21, for instance, he told Fox News hosts, 'I'm not forcing it. I'm just going to sit back and recommend it.' Still, his comments have continued to reverberate across the world, particularly as he continues to push for the annexation of countries like Canada. At one point, a reporter asked Martin whether he planned to discuss Trump's previous plans for expelling Palestinians from Gaza. Trump instead jumped in, responding with a denial. 'Nobody's expelling any Palestinians,' he replied. Palestinians were once again evoked at another point in the Oval Office conversation, as Trump reminisced about his recent speech to a joint session of Congress. He used the term 'Palestinian' as an insult to blast his rivals in the Democratic Party. 'The Democrats have to get their act together, and if they don't vote, then what you're going to do is you're going have taxes that are going to go through the roof,' Trump said, seeming to refer to recent budget negotiations in Congress. Then, he pivoted to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Jewish senator who has led Democratic resistance to a Trump-approved budget. 'You're going have some very bad things happen, and people are going to blame the Democrats. And Schumer is a Palestinian, as far as I'm concerned. You know, he's become a Palestinian. He used to be Jewish. He's not Jewish anymore: He's a Palestinian.' Still, Martin lauded Trump for his approach to the peace process overall. After Trump was asked about the St Patrick's Day boycott, the Irish prime minister interjected 'to pay tribute to the president on the peace initiatives' in Gaza and elsewhere. He also drew a parallel to the peace process in Northern Ireland, where there had been sectarian violence for several decades, continuing into the 1990s. 'I recall back in the early '90s, when the first tentative steps to get peace in Ireland [were taken], people criticised people like John Hume or people like Albert Reynolds who were then taoiseach. But they kept going,' Martin said. ' Anything we can do to stop the violence, I think, is an extremely positive thing.' Nevertheless, Martin reaffirmed his country's commitment to a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, though he offered a caveat about feasibility. 'It's been our view that a two-state solution would be ideal. It's become much more challenging and difficult as times moved on. But that has always been our position,' he said. Trump says he was 'toughest ever' on Russia Much of the attention during their meeting also fell on the ongoing war in Ukraine, where Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Just a day prior, on Tuesday, US and Ukrainian officials had agreed to a 30-day ceasefire proposal during negotiations in Saudi Arabia. Russia, however, has yet to agree to the deal. Trump acknowledged that US envoys were already on their way to Moscow to encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept. Putin, however, has pledged not to commit to a temporary ceasefire, for fear Ukraine could re-arm. Prime Minister Martin's visit, however, brought to mind the last time a foreign leader visited the Oval Office. On February 28, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy arrived at the White House to discuss a deal that would see the US gain rights over part of his country's rare earth minerals in exchange for support. But the meeting spun off course, with Trump berating Zelenskyy about not being 'thankful' enough and showing 'disrespect'. Trump also accused Zelenskyy of not wanting to bring peace to Ukraine. The US president referenced that encounter again on Wednesday, seated next to Martin. 'I've always said that Ukraine might have been the more difficult party. You saw. You were here a week ago when some interesting things happened,' Trump said. 'I had somebody that didn't seem to want peace. Now he's agreed to peace.' He also took pains to talk tough about Putin, a leader for whom he has shown public admiration. At the meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump at one point shouted, 'Putin went through a hell of a lot with me,' though it was unclear what he meant. Putin is currently subject to an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, for crimes against humanity in Ukraine. 'What I did to Russia was very tough. I was the toughest ever,' Trump said, comparing himself to his predecessors, Joe Biden, Barack Obama and George W Bush. He hinted he could take economic actions against Russia, something he has hinted at before. But then he demurred. ' In a financial sense, yeah, we could do things very bad for Russia. It would be devastating for Russia. But I don't want to do that because I want to see peace, and we're getting close to maybe getting something done,' Trump said. Trump threatens further tariffs on the EU While the peace negotiations took up much of the president's attention, he also spoke at length about a favourite economic tool: tariffs. On Wednesday, the US imposed 25-percent tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium, and Canada and the European Union (EU) responded with their own retaliatory trade measures. But the trade war could escalate further, as Trump himself warned from the Oval Office. 'Of course, I'm going to respond,' Trump said in response to a question. ' The EU was set up in order to take advantage of the United States.' He did not exempt Ireland from that statement, even when asked by a member of the news media. Instead, he accused Ireland of poaching the US pharmaceutical industry. 'All of a sudden Ireland has our pharmaceutical companies,' Trump said. 'This beautiful island of five million people has got the entire US pharmaceutical industry in its grasp.' Several major US pharmaceutical companies, including Merck and Pfizer, have factories in Ireland, drawn by lower taxes. Their products help drive a trade deficit with the US. As of 2024, the US imported $103.3bn in Irish goods and exported $16.5bn in return. But experts warn that, since most of Ireland's pharmaceutical products are sent unfinished to the US to complete the manufacturing process, tariffs on those goods may simply drive up the costs of producing medical products. Still, Trump framed the trade deficit as the result of poor US leadership. 'The United States shouldn't have let it happen. We had stupid leaders. We had leaders that didn't have a clue. Or, let's say, they weren't businesspeople,' Trump said. Trump frames Ireland's housing crisis as 'good problem' No meeting with Trump is without a few eyebrow-wiggling moments, and Trump offered some of his usual media-baiting zingers, including about extending his presidency beyond constitutional limits. 'Taoiseach, I want to just thank you once again for being here. It's an honour, and hopefully we're going be doing this at least three more times,' Trump said at the end of his remarks at the luncheon. 'We're going be doing this three more times – at least. When I say 'at least', they go absolutely crazy,' he continued, pointing to the media. Trump cannot run for office again in 2028, as presidents are restricted to two terms in the US. But Trump also waded outside of US politics, into one of the most pressing issues in Ireland: the housing crisis. Experts say population growth has outstripped housing supplies, driving up costs for those properties that are available. Homelessness is on the rise. And Ireland's Central Statistics Office estimates that nearly two out of every three people between ages 18 and 34 live with their parents. One Irish reporter asked Trump – with his experience in real estate – to offer advice to Martin. 'You know why they have a housing crisis?' Trump replied. 'Because they're doing so well. They can't produce houses fast enough. That's a good problem, not a bad problem.' Martin appeared cheered by Trump's support: 'That's a pretty good answer.' As the room erupted with questions, Trump emphasised the point: ' Everybody should have that problem.'
Al Jazeera
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Key takeaways from Irish leader Michael Martin's visit with Donald Trump
The prime minister of Ireland, Michael Martin, is the latest European leader to visit United States President Donald Trump during his second term in the White House. But the occasion was a markedly light-hearted one: to hold receptions and events in advance of St Patrick's Day, a popular Irish holiday held each year on March 17. Still, Wednesday's visit was clouded by many of the same looming issues that accompanied other European leaders to the White House, among them Russia's war in Ukraine and the fate of the delicate ceasefire in Gaza. Trump took up much of the spotlight, holding court in an Oval Office sit-down. As the US president took questions from the news media, Martin appeared relatively silent. When he did speak, Martin offered warm praise for the Irish-American alliance and the historic ties between the two countries. He also touted Trump's self-professed role as a peacemaker, as did French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer when they visited the White House in late February. 'Mr President, we are forever grateful for the United States' contribution to transforming our island,' Martin said at a luncheon for the Friends of Ireland, a group of bipartisan US lawmakers. 'We wish you well in the efforts that you are making to bring peace to the Ukraine and to the Middle East and further afield.' Here are five takeaways from their meeting today at the White House. A relatively warm visit, despite boycotts The atmosphere was decidedly cosier than some of Trump's other recent visits. Since taking office, Trump has welcomed a stream of world leaders, including King Abdullah II of Jordan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with whom he had a shouting match. Both leaders came in the context of seeking assurances about US cooperation in regional conflicts: the war in Ukraine and Israel's war in Gaza. But with Martin – known by the title taoiseach, Irish for 'chief' – the stakes were somewhat lower. During their Oval Office sit-down, Martin's conversation with Trump meandered to the US president's luxury Doonbeg golf resort, situated on Ireland's west coast. ' I'd just say, president, you have the distinction of being, I think, the only president that has physically invested in Ireland through your Doonbeg,' Martin said, as Trump tried to interject. 'I love this guy,' Trump replied, pointing a thumb at Martin. Trump responded with his own form of flattery, invoking Martin's family history as the son of a famous boxer – and toeing Irish stereotypes about fighting. 'I know so many Irish fighters. They like to fight, and they are damn good at it too,' Trump said at the luncheon, before turning to Martin. 'His father was a great fighter, actually. So that means, genetically, I'm not going to mess around with you. You understand? I'm a believer in that.' Trump's vice president, JD Vance, even wore shamrock socks and a green tie to mark the occasion. But at one point during the visit, a journalist did confront Trump about some notable absences from this year's St Patrick's Day festivities. Irish parties like Sinn Fein had announced last month that they would boycott the events in Washington, DC, over Trump's stance on Gaza. ' What are they boycotting?' Trump asked. When the journalist explained, Trump shrugged it off. ' I haven't heard that.' Trump uses 'Palestinian' as a slur, dismisses ethnic cleansing concerns Trump has previously said he would like the US to 'own' the war-torn territory and permanently displace its Palestinian residents, in a move critics liken to ethnic cleansing. But in recent weeks, the US president has backed away from that proposal. In an interview on February 21, for instance, he told Fox News hosts, 'I'm not forcing it. I'm just going to sit back and recommend it.' Still, his comments have continued to reverberate across the world, particularly as he continues to push for the annexation of countries like Canada. At one point, a reporter asked Martin whether he planned to discuss Trump's previous plans for expelling Palestinians from Gaza. Trump instead jumped in, responding with a denial. 'Nobody's expelling any Palestinians,' he replied. Palestinians were once again evoked at another point in the Oval Office conversation, as Trump reminisced about his recent speech to a joint session of Congress. He used the term 'Palestinian' as an insult to blast his rivals in the Democratic Party. 'The Democrats have to get their act together, and if they don't vote, then what you're going to do is you're going have taxes that are going to go through the roof,' Trump said, seeming to refer to recent budget negotiations in Congress. Then, he pivoted to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Jewish senator who has led Democratic resistance to a Trump-approved budget. 'You're going have some very bad things happen, and people are going to blame the Democrats. And Schumer is a Palestinian, as far as I'm concerned. You know, he's become a Palestinian. He used to be Jewish. He's not Jewish anymore: He's a Palestinian.' Still, Martin lauded Trump for his approach to the peace process overall. After Trump was asked about the St Patrick's Day boycott, the Irish prime minister interjected 'to pay tribute to the president on the peace initiatives' in Gaza and elsewhere. He also drew a parallel to the peace process in Northern Ireland, where there had been sectarian violence for several decades, continuing into the 1990s. 'I recall back in the early '90s, when the first tentative steps to get peace in Ireland [were taken], people criticised people like John Hume or people like Albert Reynolds who were then taoiseach. But they kept going,' Martin said. ' Anything we can do to stop the violence, I think, is an extremely positive thing.' Nevertheless, Martin reaffirmed his country's commitment to a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, though he offered a caveat about feasibility. 'It's been our view that a two-state solution would be ideal. It's become much more challenging and difficult as times moved on. But that has always been our position,' he said. Trump says he was 'toughest ever' on Russia Much of the attention during their meeting also fell on the ongoing war in Ukraine, where Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Just a day prior, on Tuesday, US and Ukrainian officials had agreed to a 30-day ceasefire proposal during negotiations in Saudi Arabia. Russia, however, has yet to agree to the deal. Trump acknowledged that US envoys were already on their way to Moscow to encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept. Putin, however, has pledged not to commit to a temporary ceasefire, for fear Ukraine could re-arm. Prime Minister Martin's visit, however, brought to mind the last time a foreign leader visited the Oval Office. On February 28, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy arrived at the White House to discuss a deal that would see the US gain rights over part of his country's rare earth minerals in exchange for support. But the meeting spun off course, with Trump berating Zelenskyy about not being 'thankful' enough and showing 'disrespect'. Trump also accused Zelenskyy of not wanting to bring peace to Ukraine. The US president referenced that encounter again on Wednesday, seated next to Martin. 'I've always said that Ukraine might have been the more difficult party. You saw. You were here a week ago when some interesting things happened,' Trump said. 'I had somebody that didn't seem to want peace. Now he's agreed to peace.' He also took pains to talk tough about Putin, a leader for whom he has shown public admiration. At the meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump at one point shouted, 'Putin went through a hell of a lot with me,' though it was unclear what he meant. Putin is currently subject to an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, for crimes against humanity in Ukraine. 'What I did to Russia was very tough. I was the toughest ever,' Trump said, comparing himself to his predecessors, Joe Biden, Barack Obama and George W Bush. He hinted he could take economic actions against Russia, something he has hinted at before. But then he demurred. ' In a financial sense, yeah, we could do things very bad for Russia. It would be devastating for Russia. But I don't want to do that because I want to see peace, and we're getting close to maybe getting something done,' Trump said. Trump threatens further tariffs on the EU While the peace negotiations took up much of the president's attention, he also spoke at length about a favourite economic tool: tariffs. On Wednesday, the US imposed 25-percent tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium, and Canada and the European Union (EU) responded with their own retaliatory trade measures. But the trade war could escalate further, as Trump himself warned from the Oval Office. 'Of course, I'm going to respond,' Trump said in response to a question. ' The EU was set up in order to take advantage of the United States.' He did not exempt Ireland from that statement, even when asked by a member of the news media. Instead, he accused Ireland of poaching the US pharmaceutical industry. 'All of a sudden Ireland has our pharmaceutical companies,' Trump said. 'This beautiful island of five million people has got the entire US pharmaceutical industry in its grasp.' Several major US pharmaceutical companies, including Merck and Pfizer, have factories in Ireland, drawn by lower taxes. Their products help drive a trade deficit with the US. As of 2024, the US imported $103.3bn in Irish goods and exported $16.5bn in return. But experts warn that, since most of Ireland's pharmaceutical products are sent unfinished to the US to complete the manufacturing process, tariffs on those goods may simply drive up the costs of producing medical products. Still, Trump framed the trade deficit as the result of poor US leadership. 'The United States shouldn't have let it happen. We had stupid leaders. We had leaders that didn't have a clue. Or, let's say, they weren't businesspeople,' Trump said. Trump frames Ireland's housing crisis as 'good problem' No meeting with Trump is without a few eyebrow-wiggling moments, and Trump offered some of his usual media-baiting zingers, including about extending his presidency beyond constitutional limits. 'Taoiseach, I want to just thank you once again for being here. It's an honour, and hopefully we're going be doing this at least three more times,' Trump said at the end of his remarks at the luncheon. 'We're going be doing this three more times – at least. When I say 'at least', they go absolutely crazy,' he continued, pointing to the media. Trump cannot run for office again in 2028, as presidents are restricted to two terms in the US. But Trump also waded outside of US politics, into one of the most pressing issues in Ireland: the housing crisis. Experts say population growth has outstripped housing supplies, driving up costs for those properties that are available. Homelessness is on the rise. And Ireland's Central Statistics Office estimates that nearly two out of every three people between ages 18 and 34 live with their parents. One Irish reporter asked Trump – with his experience in real estate – to offer advice to Martin. 'You know why they have a housing crisis?' Trump replied. 'Because they're doing so well. They can't produce houses fast enough. That's a good problem, not a bad problem.' Martin appeared cheered by Trump's support: 'That's a pretty good answer.' As the room erupted with questions, Trump emphasised the point: ' Everybody should have that problem.'
Jordan Times
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Trump says negotiators headed to Russia 'right now'
US President Donald Trump departs the U.S. Capitol following a Friends of Ireland luncheon on March 12, 2025 in Washington, DC (AFP photo) WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that negotiators were headed to Russia "right now" for talks on a possible ceasefire with Ukraine, after Kyiv agreed to a 30-day truce. Trump did not give further details on the negotiating team. "People are going to Russia right now as we speak. And hopefully we can get a ceasefire from Russia," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Ireland's prime minister. "And if we do, I think that would be 80 percent of the way to getting this horrible bloodbath finished." Vice President JD Vance, who was also in the meeting, added that there were "conversations that are happening on the phone and in person with some of our representatives over the next couple of days." Trump would not say when he would next speak to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, but added that "I hope he's going to have a ceasefire" and that there had been "positive messages" from Moscow. "It's up to Russia now," said Trump. Trump was coy about pressuring Moscow to agree to a truce, saying he could slap it with "devastating" sanctions but adding that "I hope that's not going to be necessary." "I can do things financially that would be very bad for Russia. I don't want to do that because I want to get peace," Trump added. His comments come less than two weeks after an explosive row between Trump, Vance and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in front of television cameras. Trump halted military aid after the argument to pressure Kyiv, which agreed to a US-proposed plan for a 30-day ceasefire at talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered his army to "fully liberate" Russia's Kursk region, after days of pushing back Ukrainian troops that have held territory there since August. "I am counting on the fact that all the combat tasks facing our units will fulfilled, and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be completely liberated from the enemy," Putin said in televised remarks during a visit to Russian troops fighting there. Ukraine's army chief hinted on Wednesday that some of his troops were pulling back in Russia's Kursk region, after Moscow claimed rapid advances there over recent days. "In the most difficult situation, my priority has been and remains saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. To this end, the units of the defence forces, if necessary, manoeuvre to more favourable positions," commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said in a Facebook post, in language typically used to describe a withdrawal.
