FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, the collective assumption of Irish political observers has been that the visit of the Taoiseach to Washington, DC will be a difficult one, in which Micheál Martin will have to utilise all of his considerable political and diplomatic skills.

That it would be tricky was obvious. That the United States, together with Israel, is in the midst of waging a war of dubious legality against Iran has complicated matters immeasurably.

The Irish people are broadly appalled at what the two, closely allied, right-wing governments are doing. The bombing of a school, which caused the death of approximately 160 young girls and their teachers, has provoked particular ire. The consequent labelling by Fintan O’Toole and Michael McDowell, two individuals not known for singing off the same ideological hymn sheet, of President Donald Trump as “mad” in the pages of The Irish Times illustrates the scale of the opposition.

More on the tricky meeting shortly, but two weeks into the conflict, the world is none the wiser as to when President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will cease operations. Typically, Trump’s messaging is all over the shop. The war is alternatively an “excursion” that is “very complete” or the American military may have just begun to flex its muscles. The Iranians, in seeking to ensure that maximum financial chaos is felt globally as a result, have responded to the aggression as best they can.

Washington, United States. 12th Mar, 2025. U.S President Donald Trump, Micheál Martin, left, joke with Vice President JD Vance . Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

To be blunt, the unpopular President Trump, in launching a war that polls show the clear majority of US voters think is a bad idea, months ahead of midterm elections that his Republican Party was already on course to struggle in, has committed an act of unfathomable political stupidity.

Why he did is anyone’s guess. Conjecture ranges from his reckoning that he could get a quick win, to a burgeoning addiction to using force post-Venezuela, to Netanyahu’s extraordinary influence over him, to a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the Epstein files.

Trump is inconsistent 

Watch this space. While the Iranians have made it harder for the US to swiftly extricate itself, President Trump will not hesitate to walk if the domestic political pressure grows on him, especially when Americans start to feel the impact at the petrol pumps and beyond. In this vein, it is fascinating that Vice President JD Vance, who passionately champions the America First rhetoric that his boss employed to such great effect on the campaign trail, has been silent.

My suspicion continues to be that the impetuous Trump, who, tellingly, has never articulated what the actual objectives here are, could pull out and declare “victory” any time. And that is even if the hostilities have only made everything worse for everyone. As usual, his next move is virtually impossible to predict. There is one caveat to that maxim: President Trump’s own self-interest will be to the fore in his calculus.

The Taoiseach will arrive into this maelstrom imminently to avail of an undeniably amazing opportunity to have a bilateral confab that larger and more powerful countries are envious of. The annual debate here over the trips of numerous Government ministers to the US – most believe them to be advantageous and necessary; a minority deem them junkets or cannot see past their distaste for Uncle Sam to recognise their value – has taken on a new complexion in 2026.

It was down initially to prevalent revulsion at the horrific conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis and elsewhere, as well as the plight of the since wilfully forgotten Séamus Culleton (he is still stateside, awaiting a full hearing on the merits of his case, by the way). There is also the tragedy of Gaza. Now, the attack on Iran has brought sentiments to a boiling point.

Pressure on the Taoiseach

Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, Labour, Greens and leftist independents demand that Micheál Martin raise it with President Trump and stand up for our values. They have been buoyed in this regard by the statement of President Catherine Connolly. Without explicitly naming the US or Israel, she has condemned the “deliberate assaults on international law” in the Middle East and claims that Ireland is “uniquely” placed to speak on the subject of peace.

Connolly’s assertion that the war on Iran violates international law is unassailable, and the moral righteousness underpinning her and other critics’ pleas is commendable. Yet given that so much of the impending one-on-one in the Oval Office transpires in front of the assembled media, the Taoiseach would not merely be foolish to heed their calls to upbraid President Trump, however gently. He would be flat-out crazy.

Despite what might animate the imaginations of some, it would have no impact upon the trajectory of events. Instead, an interjection of this sort, in tandem with President Connolly’s strong language, could further provoke the anger of those in Trump’s orbit who have explicitly said that Ireland is in their line of fire. Remember that there is nowhere as exposed on the planet to his whims on tariffs.

This is not to say that the Irish leaders travelling to the US should be silent about an outrage. They will have plenty of chances to voice their opinions and to persuade audiences. They will find that many Americans agree wholeheartedly.

But the White House is not the venue to do so. Were Trump to mention widespread Irish and/or European disdain for the war on Iran, or if it surfaces in a question from a journalist, it would be the ultimate test of the Taoiseach’s abilities.

Hopefully, that will not come to pass. In addition to the standard pleasantries and discussing the Irish Open in Doonbeg this September – it is a pity the Taoiseach is not a golfer – when he is with Donald Trump, Micheál Martin should focus on the ties that bind Ireland and America. Increasingly vital among them is the mutually beneficial economic relationship. Accordingly, Martin should tout the billions of dollars in investments recently announced by Irish businesses in the US.

Although overarching circumstances could change drastically in the meantime, the task at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue remains the same: get in, have an amicable conversation and get out. The Taoiseach’s setting out to accomplish that tactical mission is neither capitulation nor a sign of cowardice. Rather, it is a reaffirmation at a vexed juncture that the enduring friendship between the two countries, which countless of us identify equally as home, is a lot bigger than any one man.

Larry Donnelly is a Boston lawyer, a Law Lecturer at the University of Galway and a political columnist with TheJournal.ie.

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