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TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has said the Irish government will do its best to work with whoever is elected the next president of the United States.
“I think whoever’s elected is American president in November, we’ve a responsibility to work with them, whether it’s President Biden re-elected or President Trump re-elected, we’ll do our best to work with whoever the US president is,” said the Taoiseach.
Speaking to reporters in Bucharest at the European Peoples’ Party conference, Varadkar was reminded of comments made by former Taoiseach Enda Kenny prior to Trump being elected last time around, whereby he said Trump’s language was “racist and dangerous”.
It made for an awkward first meeting for Kenny and Trump in the White House, when an Irish reporter asked the newly-inaugurated US President how it felt to sit beside a man who had called his policies racist and dangerous?
Varadkar, sidestepping repeating such remarks, stating:
“I certainly agree that some of the comments that he’s [Trump] made in the past have been highly inappropriate. But we have to respect the decision of the American people,” Varadkar said today.
However, the Taoiseach acknowledged that the relationship between Europe and the US was “rocky during the last Trump presidency, adding: “But did survive the last Trump presidency.”
His comments come after Biden and Trump swept the state primaries on Super Tuesday, all but cementing a November rematch.
Both the 81-year-old Biden and the 77-year-old Trump continue to dominate their parties despite facing questions about age and neither having broad popularity across the general electorate.
Varadkar said the he believes the relationship between the US and Europe “can remain strong no matter who is president in the White House”.
However, he stated that Europe needed to “stand on our own two feet”.
“Americans are great allies, great friends. I hope that will continue… America has been stronger than Europe economically, stronger than Europe in Defence Security terms for a very long time and we need to be able to stand our own two feet,” he concluded.
Varadkar is to make two visits to the White House this year as part of the St Patrick’s Day engagements in Washington DC.
On 15 March, US President Joe Biden will host Varadkar for a bilateral meeting.
US Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff will host the Taoiseach and his partner Matthew Barrett for a breakfast at the Naval Observatory that morning.
Varadkar will then attend the St Patrick’s Day celebration at the White House on 17 March.
Biden is the second US president Varadkar has met as Taoiseach, having already met with Trump for previous celebrations.
With reporting by Jane Matthews in Bucharest
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So he’ll work with anyone bar Sinn Fein
@Jimmy Wallace: If push comes to shove after the next general election Varadkar will probably state he was misinterpreted in his comment regarding working with SinnFein…Just like when he now states he was misinterpreted when he made comments concerning the upcoming referendum. Even the free air time he got from lightweight interviewers and no opposition to respond to this comments..Varadkar still F.cked it up. The Attorney General is looking good to get him off the hook again regarding ( Misinterpreted).
@Nigel Hayden: sinn fein should refuse to work with that pompous clown
@Jimmy Wallace: Would disagree with you. SF is second largest political party in the 26 counties by one uncontested seat . It took Martin to save Varadkar’s political career, believed me if after the next election if Varadkar is again in the shit he will talk to anyone to save himself an FG.
Working with Trump or Israel is fine for Leo but doing the same with Sinn Féin is totally out of the question.
@John Dennehy: The cases are in no way similar. If there were a ‘Trump Party’ in this country, I don’t think any party (except the far-right microparties) would wish to form a coalition with it. But the President of the USA is a different matter: refusing to work with him would constitute self-harm for this country.
@Brendan O’Brien: Ah, but Leo also said that the EPP would work with radical parties, if they ‘respect European values’.
Which means they would find a way.
We should never work *with* demagogues.
No matter where they are.
@Brendan O’Brien: just imagine if there WAS a Trump Party in Ireland though….. housing, health & immigration would all be ‘sorted’ in first few months…… lobbiests would be out of work, the President of Peace will never be in vested interests ‘pockets’. I guess you’re right though….we’d be too ‘small fry’ for him…. its best to leave the President ofPeace take the BIG stage. He does have a HUGE ‘job of work’ ahead if him after the landside victory Nov5th.
MAGA
TRUMP2024
@Ken Mc Carthy: Comedy gold, Ken.
@Brendan O’Brien: cheers…you gotta have a bit o craic
@Ken Mc Carthy: “… housing, health & immigration would all be ‘sorted’ in first few months…”
You’re exactly right.
Trump “sorted” the pandemic by reducing testing.
If there are no tests, then is no illness, and no pandemic.
A Trumpist party would solve homelessness in the same way.
Don’t measure it, and it wont exist.
Same with immigration.
Or anything else.
Trumpists/Far-right see 1984 as a textbook, not the warning we do.
A warning against you lot.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: lol….do all biden.bots gets a ‘humour’ extractment procedure when they bow to messiah biden???
@Ken Mc Carthy: So you’re claiming that your hundreds of pro-Trump rants are intentionally humorous?
@Brendan O’Brien: hi liz, Kevin ker, cornelious – you’d be some craic down the pub, NOT, lol
@Ken Mc Carthy: You claimed recently that you are hampered by dyslexia, yet you worship a man who openly mocks disabled people. How does that work?
@Brendan O’Brien: ?? I’m not ‘hampered’ by anything!!! I don’t even see it as a ‘failing’ ……. as I always thought my kids growing up…’ if OTHER PEOPLE have a problem with you, your hair, your clothes etc.. that’s ON THEM!!”.
@Ken Mc Carthy: It’s not a failing, but you did claim to be hampered, becoming highly indignant when I made joke based on a typo.
What’s your view on Trump’s mocking of disabled people?
@Jimmy Wallace: I dunno…
I have come across some who are completely absorbed by the cult.
But then, they were Americans.
Still, I suppose we must have some of that kind here, or they couldn’t have got to America in the first place.
I wonder if Leo realises just how disliked he actually is, as a politician and also sadly as a person. That must suck. Poor guy : (
@Mike: If he were as disliked as you think, he would never have made it to the highest political office in the land,
@Brendan O’Brien: Leo got elected by the skin of his teeth on the 5th count in the 2020 election, that would not be a great vote of confidence in his popularity in anyone’s opinion.
@Brendan O’Brien: What? Through the back door? (absolutely no pun intended).
@Brendan O’Brien: crawled into office through the dog flap…
@Brendan O’Brien: The point Brendan, in case you missed it is that Trump is obviously an extremely hated, mocked and derided individual. Here we have an article with Leo saying he would work with him regardless. Trump made it to be US president, do you not think he is disliked? Now apply a similar thinking to our beloved Leaky. Do you get it yet?
@John Dennehy: He was duly elected like everyone else. And some backlash against a sitting taoiseach wasn’t surprising in the circumstances.
@Mike: Trump, sadly, is hugely popular.
@Mike: There is no ‘back door’ in Irish elections.
@Brendan O’Brien: Indeed he is. Also, hugely disliked, as with the Leakster. See my original point.
@Mike: You’re now saying that Varadkar is hugely popular and also hugely disliked?
@Brendan O’Brien: I never said that. Reread my comment, Bren. I’m not bothered debating nonsense with you all day, dude. No offense. Leo is hugely disliked, it’s a simple point. If you can’t grasp it, you’re on your own. Chat to you later if you’re providing any valuable insight or entertainment value perhaps. Until then, I hope you enjoy this sunny Spring day!
@Mike: I’m certainly not a fan politically, but I can’t say I know him well enough to decide if I dislike him personally. What’s he like to talk to, Mike? Is he that bad?
@Brendan O’Brien: elected by his own party not by the people… We never wanted him and that shone through in the election
@Brian Hackett: No taoiseach has ever been ‘elected by the people’.
@stephen deegan: I’ve never met him in person, but he comes across as a two faced, self serving **** who has helped run this country into the ground. What is your impression of him? Do you like what he has achieved in his tenure?
@Brendan O’Brien: Because he is a total spoofer, that systematically and single mindedly promoted himself as a brand since his appearance in politics, through constantly expressing opinions in the media, on every issue except the one’s he was actually responsible for during his roles in government.
And through being apparently 100% teflon coated whenever there has been any political blowback on him or allegations of any kind.
You can’t help but grudgingly admire his ability to consistently manipulate circumstances to his own personal advantage, despite his never having actually contributed anything whatsoever during his political career and while having all the personal carisma of a cardboard cutout.
@Brendan O’Brien: It was Martin who had to go cap in had to Varadkar who saved Varadkar. FG under Varadkar lost seats in the last general election finishing third. Varadkar will go down as probably the worst Taoiseach in the history of the state. Judging the incompetence of some of his predecessors in that office it says a lot about him.
I hope Trump shows him up for the disgraceful failure to his country that he is.
Trump evil
Ghana, who just outlawed being gay, still good apparently!
Lefties torn as they can’t be seen to criticise non-white governments!
@Paul: ‘Lefties’ criticise such laws everywhere (whereas ‘righties’ couldn’t care less).
@Paul: Ah, projection – putting your own traits onto others – again.
It’s the right that believes in imposing its will onto others.
Who cares what that pompous s ob thinks. Trump will eat him for breakfast
save Palestinian children from israeli terrorists
The country dubs Leo wholly inappropriate for trying to remove mother from the constitution .
Ahahahah !!!
Definition of a loser. No further comment
@Dominic Leleu: Trump?
Yep.
He has cost the US Republican Party control of the Senate, and Congress, the Presidency, and multiple state houses.
Everything Trump Touches Dies
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