WHAT'S YOUR MESSAGE TO U.S PRESIDENT? Deputy Mary Lou McDonald- speech from 5 Mar 2025

Let's dive into the discussions shaping the nation. Thank you so much for joining us. Over the course of the next week, you'll engage in three crucially important meetings for Ireland's future. Firstly, a meeting with the British Prime Minister, in which I hope you will press for a reset of relationships as equal partners. Then, an EU Council meeting at a time when the EU Commission has kick-started an EU arms race, proposing a colossal €800 billion in military spending. Then, you travelled to the United States to meet with the US President in the White House at a time when an outrageous threat of mass expulsion from Gaza hangs over two million Palestinians. This year's St. Patrick's Day meeting comes at a time of conflict, of challenge and of deep uncertainty in the world. It also comes at a time of deep public concern regarding your moves to dismantle the triple lock and undermine Ireland's neutrality. People ask why Fianna Fall and Fine Gael don't bring that same urgency when dealing with housing or access to health care or dealing with the cost of living. It has never been more important for Ireland to protect and assert our long-standing neutrality fully intact. The meeting with the US President presents an opportunity to address Ireland's interests, but also a moment to speak honestly with the US President, voicing Ireland's position clearly on pressing international affairs. I am certain that you will impress upon President Trump the importance of continued US support for our peace process, for the Good Friday Agreement, a need for a solution for the undocumented Irish and, of course, the real concerns regarding the impact that tariffs could have on Ireland's economy, on jobs and on future prosperity. The message has to be that Ireland is a location of choice for American investment for very good reason, that the economic relationship between our two countries is a two-way street and must continue in the time ahead. This will be your last time taking leaders' question before you make that journey to the United States. So, Taoiseach, can I ask you to set out for the Dáil very, very clearly what it is that you will say to the US President regarding Ukraine and Gaza? Will you put it to President Trump that Ireland stands on the side of international law and diplomacy? That the sovereignty of Ukraine must be upheld? That the pressing and immediate priority now is to build peace through inclusive engagement and good faith dialogue? And what Taoiseach will be your message to the American President in standing with the Palestinian people? Will you express Ireland's strong view that the US is catastrophically wrong on Gaza? That the proposal for the mass expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza is absolutely an unacceptable breach of international law, deeply destabilising for the Middle East and the wider world. Remember, this view can be most powerfully delivered by an Ireland that is a military neutral. Remember, it was the unaligned countries who spoke for Palestine's right to exist, while those in powerful military alliances failed to stop the genocide. In fact, they financed it and armed the Israeli war machine. Ireland and America can be successful partners for peace, progress and prosperity, but only if we choose to be, only if we are determined to be. So can I ask you Taoiseach to set out clearly what is your message to the United States on Palestine and Gaza? Are you saying Taoiseach to shut down? Thanks so much, again? Thank you all. Be in touch, what do you say? What is Ле Рін чтот и Гаэл Ло California dein I'm the one who's got Hlíder and a guy who's got more money. I'm right now. My wife is from the police, who's got more money, and I'm the one who's got more money. I'm the one who's got more money. or dear uh so since i've become t-shirt i have identified uh a number of relationships that are key to ireland's future uh have been key to our success over the last 30 or 40 years um the irish united kingdom a relationship is an extremely important one they are our closest neighbor uh and tonight we uh begin an annual summit uh which will occur every year now between the united kingdom government and the irish government uh and it's a it's a relationship of family um it's a relationship of neighbors it's a very very strong economic relationship and we shouldn't forget that notwithstanding brexit many many irish small to medium-sized companies when they begin their export story they begin it in the british market and we will be seeking and working to see if we can ease the barriers that are in the way of trade between the united kingdom and ireland uh and indeed the eu and more generally because economic growth in britain uh will be good for ireland and will help economic growth um in ireland so i'm looking forward to that meeting with my colleagues in government number of ministers uh meeting with their counterparts as part of this uk ireland summit also the eu council uh is a moment of huge importance um and i would i'm somewhat perplexed by your reference to europe is kick-starting an arms race uh i think you're missing the point europe fear and many european countries are very fearful of the threat that russia poses to the to their very existence and many of these countries have had history uh with russia the baltics in particular poland and many others we shouldn't forget that or in our complacency in this part of the world and sort of undermine or seek to dismiss very legitimate fears that these countries have about their very very survival and it is real and europe has to be self-reliance and europe in order to ensure peace and prosperity because europe wants peace president von der line made that in our opening remarks europe is about peace it's about prosperity it's about quality of life for citizens no one wants war but the bottom line is that europe is exposed right now and europe needs to enhance european member states to military capability and security capability across a lot of domains including cyber security maritime security energy security and so forth in terms of united states relationship with ireland that is older than the state itself and it's an extremely important one the and we're going fundamentally of course to uh celebrate the links historic links between ireland and the u.s patrick's day has always been the traditional day to do that and patrick's week which and to be there for our diaspora 30 million people claim irish american um irish descent in terms of the core issues the economic relationship is very important we're an open small economy pro free trade and i'll be articulating that perspective we will also articulate our views in relation to ukraine and in relation to the middle east also and i'll come back later in the next section well gone there's trying to know goelta sinnelig to she'd a galair on a topic took our fault that is why i've uh raised the question with you he shook i'm not uh in the least bit complacent i'm actually i am deeply deeply concerned about the international order at this time and ireland's place uh within it he shook at peace is not achieved by investing and financing war 800 billion euro of european expenditure every rule in the book set aside to enable 800 billion euro of investment in the weapons of war that's not a peace strategy it's patently not this country is a neutral country militarily unaligned and that places us in the strongest position to advocate for international law for the un system for real processes of dialogue and conflict resolution and that is where we need to be can you set out much more clearly what exactly you will say on ukraine and in particular on gaza and the palestinian question first of all i would invite you to go and talk to political parties in lithuania in latvia and estonia just go and talk to them ask them if you think our position is somehow going to ease their concern and their anxiety i don't think you do i don't think you get it and i think you need to engage more widely um in in terms of the perspectives of others on the european continent because they have bitter experience of what happened to their people um over many many decades and indeed centuries and the one bright spot they got was with the collapse of the old sovereign union they got access to the european union and that's where they want to be and they want to be secure in respect of peace uh we want a peace settlement that's durable and sustainable in ukraine president trump wants a peace settlement in ukraine uh there are different perspectives and how to arrive at that um yes there are clearly and secondly in terms of gas in terms of gaza and the middle east again let's be clear we want to consolidate the ceasefire very strongly making that one we want a surge of humanitarian aid into into into gaza and we're also we just heard it's come through the arab peace initiative and the arab proposals in respect of gaza which i think have a lot to commend ourselves like share and subscribe and let us know your thoughts in the comments we'd love to hear from you