Trump visit a diplomatic high-wire act for Government
Irish government officials are preparing for a diplomatic visit from Donald Trump, who is arriving for a golf tournament at his Doonbeg resort. The article discusses the challenges of managing the visit given past political tensions and the Taoiseach's previous critiques of Trump.
Why it matters
Highlights the complexities of international diplomacy when personal political history intersects with state-level hosting duties.
When Donald Trump last visited this country, Leo Varadkar was Taoiseach.
They met in Shannon and the opening moments of their private meeting were dominated by an unlikely topic.
At the time, the US president was having a social media spat with the actress Bette Midler. The former taoiseach recalls trying to "steer him off" that subject and on to more serious matters before the cameras came in.
Indeed, in a recent interview with Colette Fitzpatrick, Mr Varadkar offered this searing insight into Donald Trump.
"While he is an intelligent man, and nobody should underestimate him, he's not knowledgeable.
"So, it's a very strange combination of somebody who's quite bright, manipulative, knows how to push buttons, [and] knows how to get people on side.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in