U.S. President Donald Trump met with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin during the White House's annual celebration for St. Patrick's Day, the biggest holiday in Ireland, and complimented the socks of Vice President J.D. Vance. Vance wore small green socks with a shamrock pattern to welcome Prime Minister Martin's visit. This was a sign worn by St. Patrick to inform the Irish people of the doctrine of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
According to foreign reports on the 13th (local time), Trump, while discussing U.S. inflation during his meeting with Prime Minister Martin, suddenly mentioned Vice President Vance's green patterned socks, struggling to focus. "Those socks are really nice. How do you get such socks? I can't concentrate because of the vice president's socks. They are really great socks," Trump said, causing everyone in the room to burst into laughter.
However, Trump did not hold back on criticism towards foreign leaders that day. He made aggressive remarks, stating that Ireland is also a country that deceived the United States and exploited its interests. At the end of his hostile comment that "the European Union was originally created to punish the U.S.," he even said that Ireland had also deceived the United States. Nevertheless, he added, "I still respect Ireland. What it has done and what it should have done is true. However, the U.S. cannot let such things happen again in the future."
He also mentioned that U.S. pharmaceutical corporations are concentrated in Ireland due to its tax policy. "We have allowed foolish leaders to create such situations without knowing anything about corporations or the economy. Then suddenly, it turned out that Ireland had taken all our pharmaceutical companies," Trump said.
Prime Minister Martin refuted, saying, "Trade relations are like a two-lane road," adding that both major airlines in Ireland are purchasing aircraft from the American Boeing Company rather than foreign companies, and that more than 700 Irish corporations in the U.S. create thousands of jobs. "That's not reflected in the statistics and isn't well known, but it's true," Martin stated. He emphasized, "I completely understand the president's position. However, we must improve our relationship together going forward and endure the future together."