The Irish Times has published an official editorial declaring U.S. President Donald Trump ‘an unwanted guest’ prior to Mr. Trump’s upcoming visit to Ireland on June 5.
Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar “will be obliged to accord a courteous welcome to Trump even if he and his Ministers will hardly relish the prospect of being associated with such an unpopular figure with an election here expected later in the year,” the editors state in “The Irish Times View” Thursday.
Making no effort to conceal its globalist leanings, the Irish Times (IT) criticizes Mr. Trump’s “dislike for the EU and his sympathy for Britain’s Brexiteers, particularly Nigel Farage” as something that will not endear him to the Irish people.
The IT editors seem to be presenting their Taoiseach with his marching orders, explaining how he is expected to deal with the American president.
“On the international front, when it comes to issues like free trade, climate change and the Iran nuclear deal, Varadkar will have to let the president know that this State takes a very different view to his and regards international cooperation as vitally important,” the editors urge.
“Although the Taoiseach may not wish to stage a direct confrontation with the President, he will have to be both clear and firm,” they add.
Mr. Varadkar “must deal with his guest as best he can,” IT concedes, because despite their undisguised disdain for Trump as a persona non grata, the United States is still important to Ireland.
“The ties that bind Ireland and the United States are so important for historic, cultural and economic reasons that Varadkar had little option but to invite the US president,” the editors state.
“The challenge facing the Taoiseach will be to find a way to have a reasonably amicable exchange with the president while staking out a firm position on issues that directly concern Ireland and the EU,” they declare.
“A priority will be to try and explain one more time why membership of the EU is a vital national interest for this State,” they state.
According to a White House statement this week, President Trump accepted the invitation of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to visit Ireland while he is in Europe for “a state visit to the United Kingdom and for events in the United Kingdom and France to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day.”