President Donald Trump sparked an awkward moment at the White House on Tuesday when he appeared to misgender Ireland’s head of state during the traditional St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Asked about President Catherine Connolly’s criticism of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, Trump responded, “Look, he’s lucky I exist”—apparently unaware that Ireland’s president is a woman. Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin did not correct him.
The 79-year-old president’s gaffe came during what was supposed to be a lighthearted annual tradition in the Oval Office, where the 65-year-old Martin presented Trump with the customary bowl of shamrocks. Instead, the event quickly devolved into a rambling tirade about immigration, European leaders, and the ongoing war in Iran.
Body language expert Judi James, analyzing footage of the encounter for the Irish Star, said Martin appeared “tense and wary” throughout the meeting, particularly as Trump launched into his controversial remarks. The Irish leader sat politely through the president’s comments, though he looked especially concerned when Trump questioned whether European countries would support his military actions in Iran. At one point, Martin appeared to raise his hand to interrupt the president’s monologue unsuccessfully.
The meeting took an uncomfortable turn when Trump veered off-topic to criticize Europe’s handling of immigration. “I love Europe. I’ve spent a lot of time in Europe. It’s a different place. Bad—bad things have happened to Europe, very bad things, and you better do something about immigration,” Trump said.
Martin pushed back gently, telling Trump that “sometimes Europe gets characterized wrongly in terms of it being overrun.” Ireland’s population, he noted, is growing “in a very positive way” because the country attracts workers “from Europe and beyond into work legally and validly.”
The president then turned his attention to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, criticizing him for insufficient support in the Iran conflict. Trump complained that Starmer had offered “only” one aircraft carrier to help in the Strait of Hormuz, where the United States is attempting to restore oil shipping routes disrupted by the conflict. The president expressed disappointment that the U.K. hadn’t even provided “a couple of minesweepers.”
Martin defended the transatlantic relationship, describing Starmer as “a very earnest, sound person” whom Trump “got on with before.” When Trump pointed to a bust of Winston Churchill and declared Starmer “no Winston Churchill,” Martin gently noted that Churchill held “a different perspective” in Ireland—”He created his own bit of difficulties for us,” the Taoiseach chuckled.
The tense Oval Office meeting came as Ireland pursues what analysts have called a charm offensive aimed at protecting its lucrative economic relationship with the United States. Ireland collected €28 billion in corporation tax in 2024, with just three American firms—Apple, Microsoft, and Eli Lilly—paying almost half of that total. The country ran a budget surplus in 2025, largely thanks to tax revenue from U.S. multinationals.
According to Dan O’Brien, chief economist of the Institute of International and European Affairs, Ireland’s exports to the United States now exceed those of even Canada and Mexico, demonstrating extraordinary economic integration between the two countries. Irish companies have announced over $6 billion in capital investment in America, making Ireland the fifth largest source of foreign investment into the United States.
The St. Patrick’s Day visit, which traces its roots to the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon established in 1983, has evolved from a sentimental tradition into a high-stakes diplomatic and economic mission. Dan Mulhall, who served as Ireland’s ambassador to the United States during Trump’s first term, said the Taoiseach emerged from the meeting “without any bruises,” telling RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that Martin “served that purpose well.”
The awkward encounter unfolded just hours after Joe Kent resigned as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. In his resignation letter posted on X, Kent declared he “cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” stating that Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation.” Trump dismissed the departure, calling Kent “weak on security.”
Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha hosted Martin and his wife Mary O’Shea for a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast at the Vice President’s residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington earlier in the day. Vance hailed Ireland as an “important trading and economic partner,” noting the enduring cultural ties between the nations.
Irish ministers are visiting cities including New York, Atlanta, and Miami this week as part of their efforts to strengthen economic ties with the United States under the theme of “strong partnerships.” Tánaiste Simon Harris, currently Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, spent the holiday in Paris and Brussels meeting with European counterparts ahead of Ireland’s EU presidency later this year.
House Speaker Mike Johnson hosted the Friends of Ireland luncheon on Capitol Hill following the White House meeting. At the shamrock ceremony, Martin emphasized the mutual benefits of the Irish-American relationship: “Today, across this great United States, more than 200,000 Americans go to work each morning in nearly 800 Irish-owned companies, operating in every sector, in every state.”
