Enhance Your English with U.S. Government News – Trump Participates in a St. Patrick’s Day Reception with the Taoiseach of Ireland 2025. 3. 15.

0:00 0:33 The President: Well, thank you very much. 0:35 It’s a great honor. Great people. 0:37 A lot of Irish friends right there. 0:40 A lot of very, very good Irish friends. 0:43 But thank you all for being here, 0:45 even though it’s still a few days away, 0:47 I want to be the first to wish each 0:48 and every one of you a very happy St. Patrick’s Day. 0:52 It’s a big day. And as a lifelong New Yorker, 0:56 nobody knows the Irish better than me. 0:59 I know too much about the Irish. 1:02 So let me begin by saying I really do … I love the Irish. 1:06 I’ve had great, great friends over the years. 1:08 And I love the Irish, special people. 1:11 And I’ve been to Ireland many times. 1:12 I have a lot of property in Ireland actually. 1:15 And it does very well, so I like it. 1:18 If it didn’t do well, I wouldn’t like it. 1:20 But I’m always struck 1:22 by the awesome beauty of the Emerald Isle, 1:25 and its strength and warmth and grit 1:27 and grace of the Irish people. Very few people can compare. 1:31 Today we’re delighted to welcome Taoiseach Micheál Martin, 1:37 a very special man, doing incredibly well 1:39 and very popular, and his beautiful wife, Mary. 1:43 And I want to thank you both for being here. 1:44 The first official visit to the White House. 1:47 So thank you very much for being there with us. 1:50 Thank you. 1:57 I also want to extend a special welcome 1:59 to Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States, 2:02 Geraldine [inaudible]. And where are you, Geraldine? 2:05 There you are. Geraldine Byrne Nason. 2:09 And you’re going to be working with this gentleman right here. 2:12 He is a very great golfer. 2:14 One of the best golfers that you’ll ever see. 2:17 He’ll be playing golf all day long with … 2:19 He’ll take clients out to play golf. 2:22 But he’s won many, many club championships. 2:24 And Ed Walsh, congratulations. Great. Going to be great. 2:31 We’re grateful also to be joined by the members 2:35 and many members of our cabinet. Proud Irish-Americans, 2:39 Sean Duffy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 2:43 Where’s Robert F. And Sean? Hi, Bobby. I knew that … 2:48 Let’s see, Duffy we knew, and Kennedy we knew. 2:51 Some of you, I wasn’t as sure. 2:52 Pam Bondi. I don’t know. Are you Irish? Are you Irish? 2:56 With that name, I can’t … Haven’t figured that out. 2:58 She’s doing a hell of a job. I’ll tell you that. 3:00 Attorney General, Pam Bondi. Secretary of Energy… 3:07 Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright. 3:09 Now you’re doing a good job. You see the oil is going down. 3:12 It’s going down. $65 a barrel today. 3:16 You’re doing better than I even thought. 3:17 Because everything else is going to be coming down with it. 3:20 All those expensive goods that you had to suffer with 3:23 for four years, they’re all coming down. 3:25 Energy leads the way. Thank you. 3:27 Good job, you’re doing with our friend, right? 3:31 HUD secretary, Scott Turner. You’re not Irish, Scott. 3:34 Where’s Scott? Give me a break, Scott. 3:37 I want to be politically correct and not mention it, 3:39 but I’m going to say, 3:40 “How much Irish do you have in you, Sean?” 3:42 I don’t know. He said, “Zero.” That’s right. 3:46 Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins. 3:49 Doug? Thank you, Doug. You’re Irish. 3:53 EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin. 3:56 He’s one of the most important guys. 3:59 He’s going to get those approvals. 4:01 A nuclear power plant will take less than two weeks 4:04 to get approved, right, Lee, huh? 4:08 They used to take 15 years. 4:09 We’re going to do it in a couple of weeks. 4:11 US Trade Representatives, Jamieson Greer. 4:15 Where are you, Jamieson? Jamieson Greer. 4:18 Thank you, Jamieson. And I also … 4:21 There’s a very special man here 4:23 that I’ve been watching a long time. 4:25 One of the greatest dancers ever in the world. 4:28 Michael Flatley is around here, some place. 4:31 There’s nobody like this guy. 4:35 Great, Michael. I’ve watched him. Radio City. 4:38 I’ve watched you a lot, Michael. Those feet the way they moved. 4:40 I don’t know how the hell you do it. 4:42 Can you still dance like that? Or has Father Time caught up? 4:47 You know Father Time has never lost. 4:48 You know that, right? 4:50 But you’re doing great. You look fantastic. 4:53 Also with us are Representatives, John McGuire. 4:57 John? Hi, John. Good. 5:01 Bill Huizenga. Bill, thank you. Ronny Jackson. 5:06 Doc Ronny as I call him, even though he is a congressman. 5:09 Special guy. John Joyce. John? 5:14 Thank you, John. David Joyce. 5:17 David? Thank you. And Guy Reschenthaler. 5:23 You know Reschenthaler, he’s … 5:28 That’s actually the way you pronounce it, you know. 5:30 Nobody else gets it right. I got it right. 5:32 But it’s a hell of a name. 5:34 And despite that, he’s very successful at what he does, 5:36 which is politics, and he is a great guy. 5:38 Thank you, Guy. 5:39 We have come together to this beautiful 5:42 White House this evening for the Annual Shamrock 5:45 Ceremony, a living symbol of the long and unique friendship 5:48 between Americans and the Irish. 5:50 And we’re always going to have that friendship. 5:52 Just like we have a great friendship. 5:55 We’ll always have that very special friendship. 5:57 This wonderful tradition dates back to 1952, 6:00 when the first Irish Ambassador to the United States 6:04 sent President Truman 6:05 a box of shamrocks as a gesture of goodwill. 6:08 You hear that, Walsh? The first. You’re not the first. 6:11 You’re … I don’t know what you are. 6:13 What number are you? Do you have any idea? 6:16 It’s been a long time, right? Let’s see. 6:18 I could figure it out pretty easily. 6:20 The bond between our nations. 6:21 As the old America itself, and it is as old as our country. 6:26 So many Irish volunteers risked their lives 6:29 in the American Revolution. 6:30 And George Washington described Ireland as, quote, 6:34 “The friend of my country in my country’s most friendless day,” 6:38 meaning Ireland stuck with us when we were not doing so well, 6:42 when it was looking pretty bad. 6:44 Irish heritage gave us the boldness of Andrew Jackson. 6:48 I didn’t know Andrew Jackson was Irish. 6:50 The brilliance of F. Scott Fitzgerald, 6:53 Henry Ford and Walt Disney, 6:55 and the leadership of the late, great president, Ronald Reagan. 7:05 It was men and women of Irish descent 7:08 who built the hallowed halls of Notre Dame University. 7:12 Notre Dame is great. What a great place. 7:14 The legend of the Boston Red Sox 7:17 and the golden arches of McDonald’s. 7:19 That’s right. Today, one in every 10 Americans 7:22 trace their roots back to the old country. 7:24 We were discussing, 7:26 we have 5 million people living in Ireland, 7:28 but we have 35 million people living here, 7:31 right, of Irish descent. 7:32 That’s a pretty interesting statistic. 7:34 I was looking at all these great dancers over here. 7:37 You are very beautiful. 7:39 Are you all great dancers? That right? 7:41 Look at that young, great dancers. 7:44 Wow. That’s great. 7:48 Did you perform for the group before? 7:51 Because I heard somebody was doing really fantastic. 7:54 They said these people are fantastic. 7:55 I didn’t get to see you. 7:56 Do you want to do it again? 8:00 Well, we might have them do it again. 8:02 I heard you did a fantastic job. Thank you. 8:04 As we celebrate Irish-American Heritage Month, 8:07 we’re grateful to be joined 8:08 by hundreds of these proud patriots right here today. 8:12 And I know them, from personal experience, 8:14 that many of the people that we have here, 8:17 they’re just fierce. 8:18 They have fierce Irish flame, we call it. 8:21 You never give up. You never ever give up. 8:24 Oh, I even see Don. Hello Don. You are definitely Irish. 8:28 Don McGahn. You are definitely an Irishman. 8:31 There’s no question about that. But you never give up. 8:34 We’ll never give up ever, right? For the young ones, ever. 8:37 Because you never know what’s going to happen, you know. 8:39 Just a little bit more effort and you get there. 8:42 Look at what happened to me. 8:44 A lot of people said this was not a possibility. 8:51 They said that was going to be a tough race, 8:53 and we won in the landslide, 8:54 and let’s keep it that way, right. 8:56 And we’re having a great time bringing our country back 8:59 and bringing it back at a level that people had no idea 9:03 was going to take place this rapidly, this quickly. 9:06 And a lot of our great people that are secretaries 9:08 and the people working in the administration are here 9:11 and they’re doing a fantastic job. 9:13 So I want to thank all of you. 9:15 Five blocks east of where we are today, 9:17 that spirit once helped save the very heart 9:19 of the city’s Irish-American community, 9:22 you all know about it, during the war of 1812, 9:25 British forces rampaged through the streets of Washington, 9:28 burning every building in their path. 9:30 Every single building was being burned down. 9:33 Almost every one fled, 9:36 but not Father William Matthews of St. Patrick’s Church, 9:40 which was built to serve the Irish workers 9:42 who came to build the Capitol and the White House. 9:45 They were building the White House 9:46 and they formed a great bond. 9:48 And they were doing pretty important buildings, 9:52 the White House and the Capitol. 9:53 I would say that’s about as good as it gets. 9:55 As the fire spread, 9:57 the priest and the group of his parishioners said that, 10:01 “We’re just going to have to barricade ourselves in. 10:03 We’re going to have to do something. 10:05 Because it’s really bad. It’s really dangerous in here.” 10:08 And inside the church, they climbed to the roof, 10:11 armed with only buckets of water. 10:13 That’s the only thing they had. 10:14 And the other thing they had was faith in God. 10:17 They had a big faith in God. 10:18 They said, “God will never do this to us.” 10:21 Risking their lives, they defended the church. 10:23 And more than two centuries later, 10:25 St. Patrick’s still stands as a beautiful testament 10:28 to their incredible resolve and bravery. 10:31 And the patron saint of the Emerald Isle. 10:35 And that’s what it is, St. Patrick. 10:37 So we have St. Patrick’s Day and we remember their courage 10:40 and we honor the bravery of countless Irish-Americans 10:43 who have kept our country safe, strong, prosperous, and free. 10:47 And I made a little talk with my friend right behind me, 10:51 before, at the Capitol, 10:53 and they gave me one statistic that they don’t have here. 10:56 I thought it was an amazing statistic. 10:59 50% of the people that won the Congressional Medal of Honor 11:05 were Irish. Can you imagine? 11:07 And I want to check on that. 11:11 Because that sounds … to me, that’s … 11:13 No, it’s just that. I want to … 11:14 Pam, would you please have that investigated? 11:16 Because how is that possible? Seriously, how is that possible? 11:21 I was very surprised to see that, Mary. 11:22 Would you agree that that’s possible? 11:24 With the Irish, anything- 11:25 Female Speaker: Of course it’s possible. 11:26 The President: With the Irish … 11:28 Now, think of it, the Congressional Medal of Honor 11:30 is the highest award you can get in this country and 50% … 11:35 Well, you also have the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 11:38 But I will say the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 11:41 it’s much easier to … 11:45 You get it for achievement in something. 11:46 But you don’t have to take many, many bullets. 11:50 Although, there has been one bullet that was … 11:53 There’s been one bullet that was not too good. 11:56 I’m the only one, the presidential, that got that. 12:00 But think of that, 50% of the people 12:03 that received the Congressional Medal of Honor 12:06 had Irish heritage and were involved in some form 12:11 with the Irish, and that’s pretty good. 12:12 That’s a pretty big statement. 12:14 In closing, I want to remember one more Irish-American patriot 12:18 our nation lost this week. 12:20 In 1979, Anthony R. Dolan, some of you know that name, 12:24 a lot of the people that work in the White House 12:26 know it very well, 12:27 became the youngest ever Pulitzer Prize winner 12:30 for his reporting on government corruption 12:32 in Stanford, Connecticut. 12:34 In 1981, he became the Chief Speechwriter 12:36 to President Reagan, whom he served for eight years. 12:39 That’s a long time. 12:41 That’s the full time, eight years. 12:43 Coining the phrase, “Evil empire.” 12:45 That was his word. 12:46 That’s a very famous … People aren’t here. 12:48 The Evil Empire was a very profound statement. 12:52 Tony served as a White House Advisor 12:54 throughout my first term and most recently was a Special 12:57 Assistant to President on Domestic Policy 13:01 and the Domestic Policy Council. 13:04 He passed away early Monday morning 13:06 and his family is devastated, to be honest. 13:09 They’re devastated. 13:11 A couple of the family members are here. 13:12 But they’re devastated. He was a great person. 13:15 Great, brilliant writer. 13:16 And so he will be very greatly missed. 13:20 And Tony is looking down on us right now. 13:23 And he was so proud of what he did and his heritage. 13:26 He was so proud of his heritage. 13:27 So I want to thank him and his family 13:29 for the incredible job they did. 13:32 Once again, let me wish everyone a very happy St. Patrick’s Day. 13:35 And with that, I would like to ask Taoiseach Martin 13:39 to say a few words. 13:41 He’s a very, very special man in Ireland, as you probably know. 13:45 He is a very popular guy, which is not easy in Ireland. 13:48 And it’s an honor to have both Mary and Micheál here with us 13:52 because we’ve gotten to know each other very well 13:55 and they’re great people. Thank you very much everybody. 14:08 Thank you. 14:13 Taoiseach Martin: President Trump, distinguished guests. 14:16 It is a singular honor to represent the people of Ireland 14:20 as we gather to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. 14:24 The time-honored tradition of the Shamrock Bowl Ceremony 14:28 is an important moment to reflect upon the relationship 14:33 between our two countries. 14:35 Mr. President, as you said on an earlier St. Patrick’s Day, 14:40 and I quote, “Through trial and triumph, ups and downs, 14:43 thick and thin, 14:45 the extraordinary Irish people have stood by America’s side, 14:49 and America will always stand by theirs.” 14:52 Our peoples have stood side by side for a long time. 14:56 And next year, the United States marks the 250th anniversary 15:00 of the Declaration of Independence. 15:03 Of the 56 signatories of that historic document, 15:07 three were born on the island of Ireland, 15:09 and many others were of Irish descent. 15:12 Since then, Irish-America has been at the heart 15:15 of shaping this great nation. 15:18 The ideals of liberty, democracy, 15:21 and equality of opportunity, forged in this country, 15:24 did much to inspire Irish independence. 15:28 Our histories are interconnected 15:31 because our people are interconnected. 15:33 Today as the president has said, more than 30 million people 15:37 claim Irish ancestry in the United States. 15:41 Those who came to America 15:43 seeking refuge from poverty and hunger at home worked hard. 15:48 They helped build the railroads that connected this country 15:51 and the skylines that defined it. 15:54 Others served their communities 15:57 and their adopted home as firefighters, 16:00 teachers, nurses, doctors, policemen and soldiers. 16:04 Irish people can now be found in almost every industry 16:08 and community across the United States. 16:11 Mr. President, Irish-Americans have lived the American dream. 16:27 I saw that for myself earlier this week 16:29 in the great state of Texas, 16:31 where I met Governor Greg Abbott, 16:34 attended South by Southwest, 16:36 and learned about exciting economic opportunities 16:39 that are bound in the Lone Star State. 16:41 I met with Texan based companies using Ireland 16:44 as a gateway into the European market. 16:47 As well as the Irish companies investing in 16:50 and buying from Texas. 16:52 All across the United States, men and women go to work 16:55 every morning in Irish owned companies. 16:59 These companies play a key role in the US economy, 17:02 operating in every sector, in every state. 17:06 Some of your great American manufacturing companies 17:09 count Irish buyers as their top client, 17:12 with [inaudible 00:16:58] worth many billions of dollars, 17:16 supporting the jobs of thousands of fantastic American workers. 17:21 Ireland is now in the top 10 17:23 as a source of foreign direct investment in the United States. 17:27 Not bad for a small island. 17:36 Ireland likes to trade with United States, 17:39 and the United States likes to do business with Ireland 17:42 because we are strong and reliable partners. 17:45 Mr. President, let’s do even more and better together. 17:50 In the past, Irish laborers came to help build the new Republic, 17:54 the beacon on the hill. 17:56 They even built this beautiful White House. 17:59 They built the roads and the railroads 18:01 that made this mighty union possible. 18:04 Today, Irish companies are building the infrastructure 18:07 connecting the United States in the 21st century. 18:11 Throughout our great shared history, 18:13 Ireland has played a role in bringing America closer. 18:18 In doing so, we’ve been proud to help make this country great. 18:22 Mr. President, 18:23 American companies continue to invest in Ireland, 18:27 where our access to the European market, 18:29 talented workforce, 18:30 and consistent and stable business environment 18:33 makes us one of the best places in the world to do business. 18:37 And just like our peoples and cultures, 18:40 our economies are deeply interconnected. 18:43 Investment in Ireland helps American companies 18:45 sell their products across the world. 18:48 Our island is home to a people with an outward perspective, 18:53 generations of whom have looked to the United States 18:56 for opportunity and inspiration. 18:59 We’ve built prosperity through free and fair trade 19:02 with partners all over the world, 19:05 and particularly here in these United States. 19:08 Let us continue to build on that foundation, 19:11 bringing ever-growing prosperity to both our great peoples. 19:16 Let us continue to work together to make sure that we maintain 19:20 that mutually beneficial two-way economic relationship 19:23 that has allowed innovation and creativity 19:25 and prosperity to thrive. 19:28 Mr. President, on St. Patrick’s Day in 1981, 19:32 in this house, President Ronald Reagan 19:34 spoke of a just and peaceful solution 19:38 to the conflict in Northern Ireland. 19:40 And that was the start of an extraordinary journey. 19:43 17 years later, after enormous effort, 19:46 and commitment, and dialogue, 19:47 and disagreement, and sheer perseverance, 19:50 we signed a Good Friday Agreement. 19:53 We signed a just and lasting peace into being. 19:57 And the United States of America was at the very center 20:00 of that magical moment of hope and inspiration. 20:05 Successive presidents, Republican and Democrat, 20:08 cared enough to put in the late nights, 20:12 the persuading, the cajoling, the negotiating, 20:15 the encouraging, the influencing. 20:18 And Mr. President,, 3,720 people were killed in that conflict 20:24 and close to 50,000 people were injured. 20:27 In per capita terms, that’s many millions of Americans. 20:31 And just imagine that for a moment, 20:33 in terms of the scale of what happened. 20:36 It was the support of the United States of America 20:39 that was essential in bringing that to an end. 20:43 One of the greatest achievements of American Foreign Policy 20:46 with heartfelt commitment from both sides of the aisle. 20:50 The story of peace in Ireland is one that we wrote together. 20:55 We know building peace is a difficult and painstaking task, 21:01 but when the mighty United States of America 21:03 puts its shoulder to the wheel, 21:05 there is no mountain it cannot move. 21:17 Mr. President, I welcome the unrelenting focus and energy 21:23 you have brought to the search for peace in Ukraine 21:27 and in the Middle East since your first days in office. 21:39 In my view, there is nothing more noble, 21:43 President, than the pursuit of peace. 21:46 And this is what you are doing. 21:55 Ireland is ready to work with you 21:58 and our international partners to end conflict 22:01 and especially to bring just, lasting and sustainable peace 22:05 to the people of Ukraine and the people of the Middle East. 22:08 Conflict and war hurt the most vulnerable. 22:12 Too many children in particular have died in Gaza, 22:15 in Israel, in Sudan. 22:18 And too many children have been abducted in Ukraine. 22:21 Let us together never cease to strive for peace, prosperity, 22:25 and opportunity for all the world’s children. 22:29 That would be an extraordinary achievement 22:30 for the transatlantic relationship. 22:33 And an extraordinary legacy for the ages. 22:36 Mr. President, County Clare 22:39 is one of the most beautiful places on this earth. 22:44 And Doonbeg is one of its finest jewels. 22:49 One of Ireland’s finest poets, and we’ve had a few, 22:52 as you know, wrote of the beauty of County Clare, 22:57 “Along the Flaggy shore in September or October 23:01 when the wind and the light are working off each other.” 23:06 And Heaney wrote of how Ireland can catch the heart off guard 23:11 and blow it open. 23:13 I have been to that part of Clare, 23:16 and I know that that is true. 23:19 Mr. President, I hope that we can welcome you to Ireland 23:22 soon to catch your own heart off guard. 23:27 You know better than anyone, the beauty of Doonbeg. 23:30 A place that would take anyone’s breath away. 23:34 [foreign language 00:23:19]. Thank you very much indeed. 23:42 And happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all. 23:56 Thank you. 24:03 Time-honored tradition, 24:04 I’m going to present the bowl of shamrock to President Trump.

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