During a recent meeting at the White House with Irish Prime Minister Miche\u00e1l Martin, US President Donald Trump made striking remarks accusing Ireland of ‘stealing’ US companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump criticized Ireland\u2019s tax policies, which have attracted major American pharmaceutical firms, claiming the country benefits from the revenue that should belong to the US. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These comments, reported by The Guardian<\/a><\/strong>, raised eyebrows and highlighted ongoing tensions between the two nations. While his statements have caused a stir, they also sparked discussions on the broader implications of US-EU trade relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Trump\u2019s comments focused on Ireland\u2019s tax regime, which has attracted numerous US multinational corporations, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector. He highlighted how companies like Pfizer<\/strong>, Boston Scientific<\/strong>, and Eli Lilly<\/strong> are now part of the Irish landscape, contributing significantly to Ireland\u2019s \u20ac72 billion<\/strong> annual exports to the US. Trump went as far as saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Irish are smart, yes, smart people,\u201d Trump said. \u201cYou took our pharmaceutical companies and other companies \u2026 This beautiful island of 5 million people has got the entire US pharmaceutical industry in its grasps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also remarked on how Ireland\u2019s tax policies<\/a> have enabled the country to gain a significant share of the US pharmaceutical industry. Trump added, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cWe do have a massive deficit with Ireland because Ireland was very smart. They took our pharmaceutical companies away from presidents that didn\u2019t know what they were doing and it’s too bad that happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The Political Fallout: EU Relations and Tariffs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In his discussion with Martin, Trump also targeted the European Union, specifically its tax-related disputes with major US companies. Trump suggested that the EU was set up to take advantage of the US, pointing to the Apple tax ruling in Ireland as an example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said, \u201cApple has been treated very badly \u2026 That is unfair,\u201d referring to the ruling that forced Apple to pay \u20ac13 billion<\/strong> in back taxes to Ireland. Further expressing his frustration, Trump added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m not blaming you. I\u2019m blaming the European Union. The European Union\u2019s gone after our companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The ongoing tensions between the US and the EU were further highlighted as Trump mentioned tariffs, particularly the 25% steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by Washington, and hinted at the EU’s response, which included countermeasures on US goods. A senior EU official was quoted saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nIt is not very productive to now start negotiating about removing the tariffs. You put a stinking fish on the table, and then you start negotiating to remove that stinking fish, and then you say: \u2018Wow, we have a great result: there\u2019s no stinking fish on the table.\u2019 That is not a very productive conversation.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Trump, on the other hand, voiced his discontent with the EU, remarking that the Union doesn\u2019t take US farm products or cars. He elaborated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cWe have a problem with the European Union. They don\u2019t take our farm products. They don\u2019t take our cars. We take millions of cars, BMWs and Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagens and everything. We take millions of cars.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Trump also shared a conversation he had with Angela Merkel during his tenure, stating:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cI said to Angela Merkel at the time, I said: \u2018Angela, how many Chevrolets do we have in the middle of Munich?\u2019 [She replied:] \u2018Why, none\u2019 \u2026 No, I\u2019m not happy with the European Union.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Ireland’s Position and the Broader Trade Context<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ireland, for its part, has long defended its tax policies, which it sees as crucial for attracting foreign investment, including the establishment of EU headquarters for companies like Intel<\/strong>, Microsoft<\/strong>, and Google<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the White House meeting, Prime Minister Martin reiterated Ireland\u2019s commitment to fair taxation while acknowledging the complexities of its role within the EU\u2019s broader economic structure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Martin also pointed out the significant contributions Irish companies make to the US economy, such as through their purchase of American-made Boeing<\/strong> planes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump\u2019s comments underscored the tensions that continue to simmer between the US and the EU over trade practices, and they serve as a reminder of the delicate balance that countries must maintain in global economic relations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump concluded his remarks by reflecting on past US decisions :<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cI\u2019d like to see the United States not have been so stupid for so many years, not just with Ireland, with everybody,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Trump criticized Ireland’s tax policies for attracting major US pharmaceutical companies, claiming the country benefits from revenue that should belong to the US. His remarks also highlighted ongoing tensions with the European Union over trade practices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":105993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105991"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105994,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105991\/revisions\/105994"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}