TOMORROW, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin will head to Washington for a sit-down meeting with Donald Trump. At a time when the Oval Office has been sending out aggressive overtures to what it regards as its inferior global neighbours, what possible influence can the head of a small island nation exact upon the President and his coterie of yes-men?
It’s less than two weeks since Trump, along with new Vice JD Vance, threw a temper tantrum in front of the world’s media over what they perceived as a lack of due deference from their Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
We’ve watched with slack-jawed abandon as the two men have ridden rough-shod over trade partnerships with Canada and the EU, talked about turning Gaza into ‘the Riviera of the Middle East’, and reversed decades of climate protection policy with a five word mantra: “We’re gonna drill, baby, drill!”
In the eight years since the beginning of Donald Trump’s first term, liberal democracies have learned next to nothing about how to deal with his unsubtle brand of right-wing bullying. With the exception of Justin Trudeau – who allowed himself a brief flicker of anger last week before disappearing for good off the political stage – most responses to Trump appear measured to sate his ego.
When UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the White House three weeks ago, we endured the embarrassing spectacle of a hand-delivered invite to Buckingham Palace. Even Zelenskyy, for all the justified rage of his initial outburst in the face of rapid-fire non sequiturs from the Vice President, is likely facing a climbdown in the hope of restoring US military aid.
It’s as though sovereignty has been exchanged for the possibility of a compliment or a favour. If Donald Trump is the Godfather, in other words, the rest of our community of nations are nothing more than wedding guests lining up to kiss his hand.
Is Micheál Martin the man to call the proverbial Don to task, or will he fall into line like everyone else, bowl of shamrocks in hand, ready to kiss the ring? I think the latter is more likely.
The last US census showed that, as of 2021, 31.5 million Americans – or around 9.5% of the population – claimed Irish heritage. Senior figures within the Republican Party, such as Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, feature heavily among that number and with Irish Americans having matriculated to the upper echelons of society, in all likelihood a significant proportion will have voted for Donald Trump in the last election.
All of which is to say that Taoiseach Martin’s visit will be less about speaking truth to power and more about navigating difficult questions around Ireland’s diplomatic relations with Israel, its role within the EU and its desire to maintain strong links with its host to guarantee continued inward investment and jobs. The emperor may well have no clothes, just don’t expect the Irish Government to supply him with any robes.
