The president didn’t mince his words while hosting Micháel Martin at the White House
We all know Donald Trump is a man who shoots from the hip, but even Ireland’s Prime Minister was left stunned by his bluntness during a recent meeting.
The White House has been a revolving door of European leaders over the last month, and Micheál Martin is the latest one to sit in the hot seat in the Oval Office, with him meeting with the president yesterday (12 March).
Trump has welcomed a host of heads of state in recent weeks, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy probably had the most memorable one.
Thankfully, Martin’s sit down wasn’t half as explosive… but of course, it didn’t exactly go off without a hitch either.
The Taoiseach – which means leader – presented the US President with a shamrock bowl during the St Patrick’s Day reception, which is a tradition between the US and Ireland that dates back to 1953. And after graciously receiving the gift, Trump decided to reciprocate by doling out a series of bizarre backhanded compliments to a bemused-looking Martin.
Micheál Martin gifted Donald Trump a traditional shamrock bowl upon his visit to the White House (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The pair quickly got down to business after getting the usual pleasantries and photo ops out of the way, and began to discuss the contentious topics of tariffs and trade.
The European Union – which Ireland has been part of since 1973 – announced it will impose retaliatory duties on the US in response to the introduction of tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports.
Trump didn’t seem phased about going toe to toe with the 27-member bloc, as he told reporters in the Oval Office: “Whatever they charge us with, we’re charging them.”
“We have been abused for a long time, and we will be abused no longer,” the 78-year-old added, while claiming that the EU ‘treats[the US] very badly’.
“The EU was set up in order to take advantage of the United States,” Trump fumed.
Poor Martin probably wanted the ground to swallow him up at this point – but little did he know, things were about to get a hell of a lot more awkward.
After claiming the EU exploits the US, Trump was then asked whether he thinks Ireland does too.
Without missing a beat, he responded: “Of course they are. I have great respect for Ireland, for what they did and they should have done just what they did. But the United States shouldn’t have let that happen. We had stupid leaders, we had leaders who didn’t have a clue.
“All of a sudden Ireland has our pharmaceutical companies, this beautiful island of five million people has got the entire US pharmaceutical industry in its grasp.”
Trump pointed out that he has property in Ireland and ‘loves’ it there, but says he still isn’t happy about Martin’s nation supposedly getting one over on the US.
He went on: “For instance, when the pharmaceutical companies started to go to Ireland, I would have said ‘that’s OK if you want to go to Ireland, I think it’s great, but if you want to sell anything into the United States I’m going to put a 200 percent tariff on you so you’re never going to be able to sell anything into the United States’.
“You know what they would have done? They would have stayed here.”
The president didn’t mince his words when discussing how the US had been ‘taken advantage of’ (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The Republican was then quizzed about how worried the Taoiseach should be about tariffs, to which Trump replied: “Well he doesn’t look nervous. And if he was nervous, he wouldn’t show it.
“We do have a massive deficit with Ireland. Because Ireland was very smart. They took our pharmaceutical companies away from presidents who didn’t know what they were doing. The Irish are smart. They’re smart people. We don’t want to do anything to hurt Ireland, but we do want fairness and [Martin] understands that.”
The Taoiseach told the commander-in-chief that the pharmaceutical companies ‘are doing very well in Ireland’ and suggested a deal could be discussed.
“I think there’s room for those companies to grow in America and many of them, by the way, have already announced fairly significant manufacturing investments now [in the US],” Martin said.
Still, I guess any White House meeting which doesn’t emulate Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s is considered a huge success, eh?
Trump also said that he ‘loves the Irish’, adding: “We’re always going to have that special friendship. The bond between our nations is as old as our country itself.”
Featured Image Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Ireland, Politics, US News, Weird, Donald Trump
Olivia Burke
Greenland’s PM breaks silence after Donald Trump says USA will take country ‘one way or another’
Unsurprisingly, they don’t want their country to be taken over
Greenland’s prime minister has responded after US President Donald Trump declared that America would take it over ‘one way or the other’.
Trump has been talking about taking over Greenland for a while, having claimed that the US will ‘need it for national security’, saying he was ‘talking about protecting the free world’ when he spoke of occupying the world’s largest island.
Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, which has insisted that they will not be selling it to the Americans, and while there is an independence movement in the territory they are not rushing to become the next American state.
In his address to Congress yesterday (4 March), Trump once again spoke of his desire to take over Greenland, saying: “We strongly support your right to determine your own future. And if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.
“We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.”
Trump said his government was ‘working with everybody involved to try to get’ Greenland, and despite the lack of desire from Greenland or Denmark for his ideas he made it clear he thinks he will succeed eventually.
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Donald Trump wants Greenland, Greenland doesn’t want Donald Trump (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“We need it really for international world security. And I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” he told Congress.
Responding to Trump’s ominous declaration that the US was ‘going to get’ Greenland ‘one way or the other‘, Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede released a statement declaring that ‘Kalaallit Nunaat is ours’ (Kalaallit Nunaat is the Greenlanders’ name for their country).
He said: “We don’t want to be Americans, nor Danes; We are Kalaallit. The Americans and their leader must understand that.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede has made it clear Greenland doesn’t want to be part of the US (Kristian Tuxen Ladegaard Berg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“We are not for sale and cannot simply be taken. Our future will be decided by us in Greenland.”
Trump’s notion of the US taking over Greenland would seem to run very much contrary to the desire of the 56,000 people who actually live there, which would seem to be a massive obstacle to his plans to take it over.
Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he didn’t think that Greenland wanted to become independent just to end up being ‘an integrated part of America’.
Featured Image Credit: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Topics: US News, Donald Trump, World News
Joe Harker
Donald Trump makes chilling claim about ‘greatest threat to humanity’ that could ‘end the world’
The President of the United States said that ‘the level of destruction is beyond anything you can imagine’
US President Donald Trump has issued a chilling warning about what he considers to be the ‘greatest threat to humanity’.
The businessman said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday (9 March) that we shouldn’t be prioritising climate change as ‘the biggest existential threat’.
He told the broadcaster that ‘the level of destruction’ of nuclear weapons ‘is beyond anything you can imagine’.
Trump, 78, who is in charge of America’s 5,044 warheads, which is only second to Russia’s 5,500, said: “We spend a lot of money of nuclear weapons – the level of destruction is beyond anything you can imagine.
“It’s just bad that you have to spend all this money on something that if it’s used, it’s probably the end of the world.”
The Republican insisted that he disagreed with former President Joe Biden on his alleged prioritisation of global warming being a bigger concern.
Donald Trump has issued a chilling warning about the reality of nuclear war (OLIVER CONTRERAS/AFP via Getty Images)
“The greatest is sitting on shelves in various countries called ‘nuclear weapons’ that are big monsters that can blow your heads off for miles and miles and miles,” he added.
Trump also said that he sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with the hopes of negotiating a new deal with Tehran to restrain its advancing nuclear programme.
He wants to replace their plan with the one he withdrew America from during his first term in office.
“I’ve written them a letter saying, ‘I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing,’” Trump said.
“I would rather negotiate a deal. I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily.
Trump says we need to prioritise nuclear war as the biggest threat to humanity (Getty Stock Images)
“But the time is happening now. The time is coming up. Something’s going to happen one way or the other.
“I hope you’re going to negotiate because it’s going to be a lot better for Iran and I think they want to get that letter.
“The other alternative is we have to do something because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”
This comes after Trump said last month that he wants to talk to China and Russia about de-escalating their nuclear weapons programme.
“There’s no reason for us to be building brand new nuclear weapons. We already have so many,” he explained.
“You could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and they’re building nuclear weapons.
“We’re all spending a lot of money that we could be spending on other things that are actually, hopefully, much more productive.”
Featured Image Credit: Fox News
Topics: US News, Donald Trump, Politics
Anish Vij
Donald Trump issues statement after telling President Zelenskyy he’s ‘gambling with WW3’ in White House argument
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a tense meeting in the Oval Office
President Donald Trump has issued a statement on his Truth Social site after an explosive meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday (28 February).
The pair – along with Vice President JD Vance – met in the Oval Office where they discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a clip shared online, Trump can be heard telling Zelenskyy: “You don’t have the cards right now.
“With us, you start having cards… You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people! You’re gambling with World War III!“
Trump has since shared a statement online about the tense meeting, writing: “We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations.
“I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
The pair had a tense meeting (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
As the meeting took place on Friday, the pair could be seen in a heated exchange.
Trump could be heard telling the president of Ukraine: “You either make a deal or we are out.
“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.
“We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel, because you’re in no position to dictate that… You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel.
“We’re going to feel very good and very strong.
“You’re not in a very good position, you’ve allowed yourself to be in a bad position… you don’t have the cards right now… you’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.”
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Donald Trump told Volodymyr Zelenskyy he was ‘gambling with World War Three’ (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
At one point, Vance interjected, asking the Ukrainian president: “In this entire meeting, have you said thank you?
“You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October, offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.”
Trump added: “Your country is in big trouble. Wait a minute. No, no, you’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble.”
The White House has also responded to the exchange, with Trump’s special assistant and communications adviser Margo Martin writing on X: “President Trump and Vice President Vance will always stand for America and those who respect our position in the world. America will never be taken advantage of.”
Featured Image Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Topics: US News, News, Donald Trump, Politics
Lucy Devine
Donald Trump warns President Zelenskyy he’s ‘gambling with WW3’ in explosive White House argument
The explosive discussion took place at the White House on Friday (28 February)
President Donald Trump has told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he’s ‘gambling with World War Three’ in an explosive discussion at the White House.
On Friday (28 February), the pair – along with Vice President JD Vance – met in the Oval Office where they discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a clip shared online, Trump can be heard telling Zelenskyy: “You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards … You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people! You’re gambling with World War III!”
The pair could be seen arguing as a heated discussion escalated.
Trump could be heard telling the Ukrainian president: “You either make a deal or we are out.
“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.
“We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel, because you’re in no position to dictate that… You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel.
“We’re going to feel very good and very strong.
“You’re not in a very good position, you’ve allowed yourself to be in a bad position… you don’t have the cards right now… you’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.”
Donald Trump told Volodymyr Zelenskyy he was ‘gambling with World War Three’ (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
At one point, Vance interjected, asking the Ukrainian president: “In this entire meeting, have you said thank you?
“You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October, offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.”
Trump added: “Your country is in big trouble. Wait a minute. No, no, you’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble.”
Vance asked Zelenskyy if he had said ‘thank you’ (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The White House has since responded to the exchange, with Trump’s special assistant and communications adviser Margo Martin writing on X: “President Trump and Vice President Vance will always stand for America and those who respect our position in the world. America will never be taken advantage of.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump later added that Zelenskyy could ‘come back when he is ready for peace’.
“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” he wrote.
“I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
Featured Image Credit: Sky News
Topics: US News, Donald Trump, Politics, World News
