Could McIlroy and O’Donnell help Ireland avoid Trump’s tariffs?

Ireland may need to swap diplomacy for celebrity charm as it seeks to influence Trump’s stance on trade tariffs

President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington. Picture: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Asking our celebrities and sporting heroes to pull on the green jersey as part of a Trump charm offensive may be the most successful strategy in wooing the US leader.

As politicians and economists tried to ascertain the true ramifications of the trade tariffs announcement made by Donald Trump from his beloved Mar-a-Lago beach and golf resort this weekend, two of our finest sports stars had fans enthralled as they fought it out just three hours away on California's famous Pebble Beach course.