During the White House Summit Between the U.S. and Ireland
Vance Wears Socks with Ireland's Symbol, the Shamrock
Trump: "What on Earth Are These Socks? Very Impressive"
During the White House summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Irish Prime Minister Miche?l Martin, the socks worn by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance unexpectedly became a topic of conversation. On the 12th (local time), the Associated Press reported that "President Trump was distracted by Vice President Vance's socks during the meeting with the Irish Prime Minister." After the summit, while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, President Trump said, "I have to say something about inflation," but then turned his gaze to Vice President Vance, who was seated nearby.
On the 12th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J. D. Vance met with Prime Minister Michal Martin of Ireland in the White House Oval Office. On the right is the sock worn by Vice President Vance. Photo by AFP, Yonhap News
President Trump said, "What on earth are these socks? I’m trying to focus, but I just can’t because of the socks," adding, "Impressive." His remarks caused laughter throughout the Oval Office.
Vice President Vance wore white socks featuring green shamrocks, a symbol of Ireland. Earlier, at the Naval Observatory where the Vice President's residence is located, he had breakfast with Prime Minister Martin and his wife, describing the socks as part of "sock diplomacy." He explained, "This is a know-how passed down to me by Cullen Tiernan, a comrade from the Iraq War who was a senator at the time."
The band Vice President wore a green tie celebrating St. Patrick's Day at the official residence to welcome the Irish Prime Minister and his spouse. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News
Vice President Vance told Prime Minister Martin, "You will meet President Trump at the White House, and he is very interested in traditional attire," adding, "If he notices the socks, please tell him that the only reason I am wearing these socks is to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Ireland." Indeed, Vance’s socks caught the President’s attention, and he responded on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "I knew the President would notice."
On that day at the White House, senior aides and staff also drew attention by wearing green clothing symbolizing Ireland. This was in commemoration of St. Patrick’s Day, honoring Saint Patrick (386?461), the patron saint who brought Christianity to Ireland, which is approaching on the 17th.
Although the atmosphere seemed amicable at first glance, President Trump delivered frank remarks toward Ireland. He criticized Ireland for attracting major U.S. companies with low corporate tax rates, thereby diverting tax revenue that should have been collected by the United States. He said, "Ireland was very smart, so we have a huge deficit," adding, "They took our pharmaceutical companies from presidents who didn’t know what they were doing. If I had been president when U.S. pharmaceutical companies moved to Ireland, I would have imposed a 200% tariff," expressing dissatisfaction with Ireland’s trade surplus with the U.S.
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