When Vice President JD Vance took a minor fashion gamble at the White House on Wednesday, he was lucky. President Donald Trump paused in the middle of a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast meeting with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin to discuss Vance’s choice of footwear for the day.
When Trump paused to tell his second-in-command how much he loved his socks with shamrocks on them, he was about to start talking about inflation.
“Why are these socks there?” People in the press pool laughed when Trump asked.
“I’m trying to stay focused, but I’m very impressed with the VP’s socks,” Trump joked when Vance clarified that the outfit was chosen to honor the Irish prime minister.
“I love these socks. What’s with these socks? I’m trying to stay focused, but I’m very impressed with the VP’s socks.”
President Trump gets sidetracked by Vice President JD Vance’s green shamrock socks while meeting with the Irish prime minister at the White House.☘️ pic.twitter.com/mm53sOHc8q
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Given Trump’s preference for more conventional designs, the vice president told reporters earlier today that he wasn’t sure if the top executive would like the tacky socks. However, Vance decided to go with the appearance, telling the White House press pool that he believed it would be a good diplomatic move towards the leader of Ireland. He declared, “That’s the only reason I wear these socks.”
Even though Trump appeared to be in a positive frame of mind when he met with the prime minister of Ireland, he confronted him about the disparity in trade between the two countries. By lowering its corporate tax rates in the early 2000s, the president claimed, Ireland had exploited the United States, which has since encouraged more than 1,000 American companies to move across the Atlantic.
Trump was distracted by JD Vance’s shamrock socks while the VP giggled: “What’s with those socks? I’m trying to stay focused, but I’m very impressed with the VP’s [socks].”
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According to the Washington Post, Trump’s tax reforms 2017 made Ireland a desirable substitute for American businesses that had previously looked for tax havens in the Caribbean.
During the meeting, Trump blamed his political predecessors, telling Martin, “I have great respect for Ireland, for what they did, and they should have done just what they did. But the United States shouldn’t have let that happen. We had stupid leaders, we had leaders who didn’t have a clue.”
Check out the president’s reaction to Vance’s socks right here:
The vice president’s wardrobe selections have garnered online attention in the past, according to Daily Beast. His high-riding trousers were ridiculed by social media users last month. One X user said, “JD Vance is such a Constitutionalist that he wears 1700s britches and stockings.” Derek Guy, a menswear specialist, even offered advice, saying, “The second lady should advise him to get wider trousers and over-the-calf socks so that his bare leg doesn’t show when he sits down.”
Vance stuck to his characteristic look despite the criticism of fashion; this time, it got him the president’s full attention. However, after getting distracted by Vance’s socks, Trump never returned to the subject of inflation.
