I joined a panel on RTE Radio 1’s Today With Claire on Friday to analyze a possible spat over trade between the Trump Administration and Ireland.
The other guests are Craig Hughes, the political editor of the Irish Daily Mail and Pearse Doherty, the Sinn Féin Party’s finance spokesperson.
Listen to Discussion
The incident arose from a phone call between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Simon Harris.
The American readout of the call added a reference to discussion of a “trade imbalance”, a point of possible pressure on Dublin by the Trump Administration. The Irish readout made no mention of that topic, and Harris denied that it arose in the conversation.
What significance could the episode have for Taioseach Micheál Martin as he visits Donald Trump on Wednesday for a St. Patrick’s Day ceremony? And is this a sign of a forthcoming Administration attempt to punish Ireland economically and financially?
