Varadkar verified the news on Thursday morning.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has confirmed that the scheduled visit of US President Donald Trump to Ireland later in the year has officially been postponed.
Uncertainty shrouded the planned visit to the country after White House press secretary Sarah Sanders earlier this week said Washington was still finalising the visit.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar corroborated the news at an economic conference focused on shaping the future of US-Irish business held in the US Residence in Phoenix Park on Thursday morning.
‘Racing Toward A Trillion – The Future of U.S. – Irish Business’ aimed to explore the key opportunities, likely obstacles, and new horizons that will allow the future of US-Irish business to strive.
Varadkar – one of the conference’s invited guests – spoke on a number of topics, including the importance of good US-Irish relations on the back of Brexit and the impact of U.S. tax changes and digital taxation.
“With Brexit, the Irish-US relationship is becoming all the more important, with Ireland acting as a bridge between the EU and the US,” the Taoiseach said.
“Our culture and values are very much in line in with what US companies are seeking. We understand each over instantly with no need for interpretation both linguistically and culturally. Ireland is open and tolerant.”
Taoiseach @campaignforleo mentions the three C’s that Ireland offer “Community, connectivity, competitiveness” #trillionconf pic.twitter.com/g2WdyEezCn
— U.S. Embassy Dublin (@USEmbassyDublin) September 13, 2018
While at the conference, Varadkar also referenced the recent news that President Trump had cancelled his planned trip to Ireland in November.
News of the visit sparked calls for protests as well as the apparent imminent arrival of the Trump ‘baby blimp’ made famous during his summer trip to the UK.
Cancellation of the trip was clarified as being purely speculative at the time, however, the Taoiseach confirmed that the forthcoming trip has been cancelled until a later date.
“As you know this week US President Donald Trump has to postpone his proposed trip to Ireland, however whenever it takes place we look forward to the opportunity to renew the deep, historic ties that exist between our two countries.
“We can all agree the future US-Ireland economic relationship is of profound importance to all of us here.”
It is unsure as of yet when the trip will go ahead, but it is expected that it was originally cancelled due to a myriad of scheduled mass protests.
Following news of the trip’s speculated cancellation, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin shared the belief that the confusion over such an announcement showcases the need for an appointed US Ambassador to Ireland.
The position – which was last filled by American lawyer Kevin O’Malley – has remained vacant since Obama’s leave from office in January 2017.
It’s expected that Edward Crawford, an 80-year-old billionaire from Ohio and a long-time donor to the Republican Party, has been seen as the frontrunner since Brian Burns pulled out of the running in the summer of 2017.
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