Leo Dons his shamrock for Trump meet
Taoiseach starts St Pat’s US tour
LEO Varadkar is preparing to meet Donald Trump for the first time as Taoiseach as he kicks off his St Patrick’s tour in America.
As is tradition, the focus of the week-long trip will be his meeting the President at the White House on Thursday followed by the ceremonial exchange of a shamrock bowl.
The Fine Gael leader started his itinerary yesterday in the city of Austin, Texas, where he met State Governor Greg Abbott and promoted Irish innovation at the SXSW Festival.
With thousands of Irish jobs created by US multinationals, President Trump’s America First protectionist policies may be raised in Washington, as might Ireland’s controversial tax arrangements with some of those companies.
A Government statement said: “The visit offers the opportunity to advance Ireland’s economic and political interests in the US and to celebrate new and old cultural and community ties between the two countries.”
Today Mr Varadkar will meet the Native American Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma to commemorate the tribe’s fundraising efforts for the victims of the Great Famine.
The Choctaw tribe donated $170 to the victims of the famine in the 1840s – around
€4,000 in today’s money.
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The Taoiseach said he was “captivated” by the story, describing it as ‘one of the oldest connections we have with America.
Tomorrow he travels to Washington DC where he and Senator George Mitchell will be keynote speakers at an event to mark 20 years since the Good Friday Agreement. The ongoing power-sharing crisis in the North could also come up.
His engagements include meetings with senior representatives of Irish companies succeeding in the US.
The problems of tens of thousands of illegal Irish immigrants is also likely to feature in discussions. On Wednesday, the Taoiseach will address the annual American Ireland Fund dinner and on Friday he will be guest of honour at a breakfast hosted by Vice President Mike Pence. Later that day, following a lunch with media company Bloomberg, the Taoiseach will visit the site of the new Irish Arts Centre in Manhattan before meeting representatives of the main immigrant centres.
Mr Varadkar’s visit ends on Saturday, with the traditional New York St Patrick’s Day programme.
It includes a meeting with Mayor Bill de Blasio, the St Patrick’s Cathedral mass and walking in the parade.
PORN star Stormy Daniels has been offered $1million by “at least” 10 people to break her silence over her alleged affair with Donald Trump.
It means her costs would be covered if she breached a gagging deal by speaking out about the claims.
Daniels, 38, was paid €106,000 just weeks before the billionaire won the 2016 US presidential election to keep quiet over the allegations.
As part of the deal she was told she would have to pay $1million (€800,000) if she spilled the beans.
But her lawyer Michael Avenatti says Daniels – whose real name is Stephanie Clifford – has had several offers of financial help to enable her to tell her story.
Asked on US TV news network CNN whether anyone had “offered to pony up the $1million to protect her”, Mr Avenatti said: “At least 10 individuals in the last three days alone.”
But he said she was not seriously considering any of the offers.
It came after Daniels filed a civil lawsuit against the President in Los Angeles Superior Court last week, claiming the contract is null and void since Trump never signed it.
Their alleged fling began weeks after Trump’s wife Melania gave birth to their son Barron in 2006, it has been claimed. Daniels, star of over 150 adult films including Good Will Humping, is one of more than 20 women to accuse Trump of an affair or sexual misconduct.
■ Mr Trump wants drug dealers in the US to be given the death penalty. He said it is “a discussion we have to start thinking about” but admitted: “I don’t know if this country’s ready for it.”