TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN took a “back seat” while US President Donald Trump went off on uncomfortable tangents.

That’s largely the consensus from international news outlets after observing the White House visit yesterday, where the leaders came face to face for a lengthy press conference that was mostly jovial, but not without a few digs.

Politico called the press conference a Trump “monologue” that was “at-times excruciating”. 

“Martin, a diplomatic veteran, spent long periods sitting in bemused silence, his hands clasped tightly on his thighs and a Mona Lisa smile on his face. Trump, beside him, spent much of their time bashing past U.S. presidents and Brussels, although aiming no direct hits at Ireland.”

Politico headline

CBS said that, while it was “nothing like with the Zelenskyy meeting from two weeks ago”, there was some “underlying acrimony” from Trump’s side.

“[Trump] added Ireland to the list of countries he thought were taking advantage of the United States,” Fin Gómez, CBS News’s Political Director, said, referencing Trump’s comments on the pharmaceutical industry.

The New York Post also covered the comments and the palpable awkwardness.

“Trump ranted as Martin sat awkwardly next to him.”

The New York Times said, despite entertaining Trump’s antics, Martin wasn’t able to make him budge on tariffs.

The paper pointed to Martin’s markedly reserved disposition as a signal that he was trying to avoid a repeat of the Zelenskyy debacle.

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New York Post headline

In its ‘key takeaway’ article about the visit, Al Jazeera said Trump “took up much of the spotlight”, while Martin “appeared relatively silent”.

Overall, it said the visit was “relatively warm”, despite obvious tensions sparked by the US tarrif war with the EU.

It highlighted the the mutual “flattery” between Trump and Martin – the President saying the Taoiseach’s father was “a great fighter” and that he isn’t going to “mess around” with Martin.

The Taoiseach repeatedly lauded the President’s peacemaking efforts, referencing recent accelerations in talks about Ukraine and Gaza.