TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has said the invitation to US President Donald Trump still stands.
Last St Patrick’s Day, his predecessor Enda Kenny extended the invitation to the newly elected president.
Following a meeting at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, Varadkar was asked if he stood over the invite.
“The invitation that Enda Kenny made to Donald Trump stands. Donald Trump has invited me to Washington DC and he is going to invite me to his house. I think it is absolutely appropriate, it’s normal hospitality, that when somebody invites you to their front room in their house that you reciprocate with an invitation,” he said.
If Trump does take up the offer, Varadkar said he would like to show him the border with Northern Ireland.
The comment about the border comes just a day after the president visited the site of eight prototypes for his planned wall along the border with Mexico.
‘Invitation still stands’
“The invitation absolutely still stands. I’m not into golf, so I won’t be playing a round at Doonbeg, but perhaps there will be an opportunity to potentially visit some of the Irish companies that invest in the US, and also as well perhaps to see the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland,” said the Taoiseach, adding:
“I know that’s something he expressed an interest in when we spoke on the phone some months ago. He was very interested in that.”
Varadkar said there has been no discussions with the US administration about a visit.
“He has invited me as Taoiseach, Prime Minister of Ireland, to visit him in the White House and of course I intend to reciprocate,” he concluded.
When asked about the Taoiseach’s comments in Washington today, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said:
Seeing the border at first hand certainly makes it very real for people in terms of Brexit.
It is a 300 mile border with multiple crossings and I think anyone who has seen that border will understand that some of the fantastical ideas from the British government around frictionless trade are simply nonsense.
Reacting to the Taoiseach’s invite, People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said that he is appalled that Varadkar will extend an invitation to Donald Trump to come to Ireland.
He said: “For An Taoiseach to extend an invitation to Donald Trump to visit Ireland is appalling.”
“Donald Trump is promoting racist, sexist and warmongering policies that represent a danger to the entire world,” he said, adding that if Trump does come to Dublin he will be met with mass demonstrations.
TheJournal.ie’s political reporter Christina Finn will be bringing you all the latest updates from Leo Varadkar’s visit to Washington this week, including his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Thursday.
Stay up-to-date by following @ChristinaFinn8, @TJ_Politics and TheJournal.ie’s Facebook page.
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