President Donald Trump speaks with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar of Ireland by telephone in the Oval Office at the White House. Photo/Twitter
President Donald Trump speaks with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar of Ireland by telephone in the Oval Office at the White House. Photo/Twitter
Donald Trump appeared to flirt with an Irish reporter during call with Leo Varadkar, the new Taoiseach, on Tuesday.
As the US president and Irish premier discussed issues such as migration and Britain's exit from the European Union, Trump broke off to compliment a reporter's "nice smile".
"Well, we havea lot of your Irish press watching us," Trump says. "And where are you from?" he then asks Caitriona Perry, Washington correspondent for RTE, according to Daily Telegraph.
"Go ahead. Come here, come here. Where are you from? We have all of this beautiful Irish press.
The Irish government said in a statement about the call between the two leaders: "Particular topics discussed included migration, Brexit and the movement of goods and citizens across the border, climate change, free trade, Irish inward investment in the United States, and the undocumented Irish."
They also discussed the Northern Ireland peace process.
The two said they were both looking forward to meeting in person next March in Washington.
A visit to Ireland by the US president was not discussed.
Varadkar's predecessor Enda Kenny invited Trump to Ireland last March.
The planned trip, scheduled to take place during his presidency, sparked much criticism from Opposition parties in Dublin.
Trump extended to the Taoiseach the traditional invite to the White House for the annual St Patrick's Day celebrations.
Both leaders "looked forward to meeting in person then", they said in the conversation, according to a spokesman for Varadkar.
