“Europe is still a very good place to live,” Martin said, prompting laughter in the room as Trump retorted: “I’m glad to hear that!”
Martin then expanded on why Europe is so popular with migrants, noting the EU’s “free mobility of people” and how it allows Ireland to attract newcomers “from Europe and beyond” to swell its rapidly growing workforce.
“Fundamentally, sometimes Europe gets characterized wrongly in terms of it being overrun,” he said in apparent reference to claims the Trump administration has made, including in the president’s sit-down interview with POLITICO last December.
The visiting Irish press pack, perhaps disappointed to have no anti-Irish comments from Trump, twice tried to ask him about Irish President Catherine Connolly’s recent condemnations of the U.S.-Israel attack on Iran.
Connolly — elected in October on an anti-government mandate — is a largely ceremonial head of state who plays no role in Ireland’s government.
But Trump made it clear he had no clue who Connolly might be, far less her criticisms.
“Who said that?” Trump asked a reporter, only to be told, without reference to Connolly’s gender, that it was Ireland’s president.
“Look. He’s lucky I exist, that’s all I can say,” Trump said.
