Jane Matthews reports from Washington

THERE IS NO doubt that the Taoiseach will have breathed a sigh of relief as he wrapped up a whirlwind day in Washington DC.

He made it through one of the most testing days he will face as Taoiseach and was successful in not poking the bear.

Some of the Irish public will say that was all we could ask for. Get in, get out and don’t embarrass yourself – or us – in between.

Others though, will feel the Taoiseach was too deferential to Trump and his Vice President JD Vance.

Laughs as Vance showed off his shamrock socks Alamy Alamy

Throughout his few days in the US this week, the Taoiseach’s confidence appeared to build.

On the first day of the trip, he didn’t want to entertain hypothetical questions about how his meeting with Trump might play out, but after meeting with Texas Governor – and staunch Trump supporter – Greg Abbott on Monday, he clearly got a sense from him that Trump’s America remains friendly to Ireland.

Still though, after the dressing down Zelenskyy received when he visited the Oval Office two weeks ago, the Taoiseach would have been naive not to have been a bit concerned heading into the meeting.

His gameplan yesterday in the end was straightforward: keep the smile on the face, nod a lot, and when you have to broach the difficult topics, keep Trump on board through compliments. 

At points it felt like the Taoiseach was almost gentle-parenting the President, particularly when it came to his comments on the Middle East and Ukraine. 

At three points during the day, first at the Vice President’s breakfast, then in the Oval Office and later at the shamrock ceremony, the Taoiseach spoke highly of the US’s role in securing peace in Northern Ireland. 

He used this as his entry point to talk about Ireland’s ambition to see peace in Ukraine and the Middle East. It was the definition of subtle diplomacy, but many might argue it was too subtle and the Taoiseach missed an opportunity.

The Taoiseach would argue though that that was not what yesterday was for – his repeated refrain has been that this was a day to promote Ireland.

In the Oval Office, Trump himself made it clear that that was also his view when he told one Irish reporter who asked about the Occupied Territories Bill and Ireland’s relationship with Israel: “Well you’re not from Israel that’s for sure.” 

Overall, the Taoiseach did his best to steer clear of the noise and bring things back on track when there were moments of danger.

And there was plenty of both noise and danger during the 50-minute public meeting in front of the press and cameras in the Oval Office.

There was more than one point during the day when Martin’s humouring of Trump put him in danger at home. 

One of the most notable came when he laughed along as Trump told reporters that Ireland’s housing crisis was a “good problem” to have because it showed that the country was doing well. 

“That’s a pretty good answer, Mr President,” Martin said in response. 

Related Reads

As it happened: The Taoiseach invited Trump and Vance to visit as Washington celebrated Ireland

It was a moment of plamás in a high-stress environment, but for anyone in Ireland dealing with the reality of the housing crisis it was a kick in the teeth. 

There were also other points in the Oval Office when Martin sat silently throughout Trump’s cutting comments on the European Union.

No doubt, neighbouring EU leaders would have wanted to hear the Taoiseach put forward some line of defence. 

The Taoiseach would likely counter it was not a day to focus on international issues. His backers might also argue that it was best just to avoid a row as any sharp exchanges between the pair would be replayed internationally – in the end likely serving to make the current transatlantic standoff on tariffs even worse.

Regardless of whether the Irish public rated the Taoiseach’s performance yesterday or not, one thing was very clear: Both Trump and Vance appeared to have genuine respect for him. 

That was evident in how they allowed him to say his piece on tariffs and the trade imbalance. 

There was also a sense that both men were on their best behaviour and that Trump in particular was visibly being careful in some of his responses to tricky questions from the press.

With all the toasts, speeches, green ties and bowls of shamrock, they saw yesterday as a celebration of the bond between the US and Ireland and that was that.

Whether we are happy to be or not, the message from the White House yesterday was that – for the moment at least – the Irish are in Trump’s good books.