Irish Examiner view: We need to prepare now for Donald Trump's warnings

Speaker of the US house of representatives Mike Johnson, US president Donald Trump, and Taoiseach MicheĂĄl Martin on the steps of the US Capitol after attending the Friends of Ireland luncheon in Washington DC. Picture: Niall Carson/PA
Taoiseach MicheĂĄl Martin visited the White House yesterday and emerged unscathed, more or less, after meeting with US president Donald Trump.
It is not so long since such a sentence would have been unthinkable, but here we are.
There was a genuine sense of trepidation ahead of Wednesdayâs meeting, though for years the St Patrickâs Day visit of the Taoiseach to the White House was traditionally little more than a photo opportunity.
Mr Trumpâs unpredictable moods had many observers concerned, and the argument that broke out between Mr Trump, his vice-president JD Vance, and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy live on television in the White House recently fuelled those concerns.
The relatively low-key encounter between Mr Martin and Mr Trump will, therefore, come as a relief in many quarters, with the US president quite complimentary about his visitor.
However, when asked if Ireland was taking advantage of the US, Mr Trump said: âOf course they are... The United States of America is going to take back a lot of what was stolen from it by other countries.â
He also stated that Ireland âhas got the entire US pharmaceutical industry in its graspsâ and that Apple had âbeen treated very badlyâ in its EU tax case.
Given our dependence on foreign direct investment, and on American companies in particular, this does not bode well for Ireland going forward.
The Taoiseach stressed that the Ireland-US relationship is a âtwo-way streetâ, and Mr Trump acknowledged that he loves Ireland â âIâve been there many times as you know, and we donât want to do anything to hurt Ireland. But we do want fairness and he [Mr Martin] understandsâ.
That love clearly does not include a special dispensation when it comes to American companies.
Mr Trump has shown a tendency to change direction in the past, but it would be a serious error to depend on inconsistency as an ally in this matter.Â
Wednesdayâs warnings could not have been clearer, and we need to prepare accordingly.
Reversals on tariffs add to economic chaos
US president Donald Trumpâs constant championing of tariffs as a solution to American problems met with an inevitable reaction this week, with the EU responding in kind.
The European Commission announced on Wednesday that Europe will impose counter-tariffs on âŹ26bn ($28bn) worth of US goods from April as it responds to blanket US tariffs on steel and aluminium.Â
Mr Trumpâs 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports came into force as prior exemptions, duty-free quotas, and product exclusions expired.
The commission will not only end the current suspension of tariffs on US products on April 1, it will also put forward a new package of countermeasures on US goods by mid-April.
French European affairs minister Benjamin Haddad offered some details on those countermeasures, telling French television that intellectual property and digital services were potential targets, adding: âWe have the means, if we so wish, to go further.â
Mr Trumpâs enthusiasm for trade conflict has not been limited to Europe, of course: Mexico, Canada, and China are all facing tariffs as well, though it can be difficult to keep track of the US presidentâs exact position on those charges.Â
Last week, he imposed sweeping tariffs on Mexico and Canada â only to change his mind two days later and suspend the tariffs.
These reversals are contributing to the chaos â not only are the tariffs themselves damaging countriesâ trade, Mr Trumpâs abrupt reversals are creating uncertainty and nervousness in global trade that are both unnecessary and counterproductive.
It should also be noted that inflation is still high in the US, and polls show unhappiness with Mr Trumpâs performance in reducing the cost of living, which was one of his key election promises.
The tariffs may not be working in the strictest sense of the word, but in terms of damaging global trade and raising costs unnecessarily, they have been a runaway success.
Hackman's death highlights concerns for carers
When news of Gene Hackmanâs passing broke last week there was sadness at the death of a popular actor, but that sadness was tempered with the knowledge that Hackman had lived to the age of 95 and enjoyed a full and rewarding life.
Since then, however, disturbing details have emerged about the circumstances of Hackmanâs death at his home in Santa Fe.
Investigators have determined that it is likely that the actorâs wife, Betsy Arakawa, predeceased him due to hantavirus.Â

She was Hackmanâs primary carer and it is presumed that the actor, who was suffering from advanced Alzheimerâs disease, was unable to fend for himself alone and died days later.
This is clearly a nightmarish end for anyone, and the circumstances raise a general question about the pressures on carers everywhere, Ireland included.
The burden placed on family members who must care for relatives is a vital but often unacknowledged part of our own health system; if those people did not provide this vital service in thousands of homes all over the country it simply could not be replaced by the health services.
In one sense, it is an indictment of our society that it should take the death of a celebrity to turn the spotlight on this issue, but that is the world we live in.Â
If the Hackman case focuses attention on carers â on the challenges they face, and on ways to help them â then the actorâs tragic end may aid others in the future.
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