The Irish political party People Before Profit is calling for Irish politicians to not attend St. Patrick's Day events at the White House this year after President Trump said on Tuesday that "the US will take over Gaza."
People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger described Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "two psychopaths" on Wednesday.
Later, speaking in the Dáil, she said that "nobody, nobody whatsoever from this Dáil should go to the White House, nobody should greenwash Trump and give him any flag or any cover to hide what he stands for.
"Our Government and all political parties should make that clear."
Coppinger said: "It is absolutely critical that we do not allow the normalizing of genocide, of ethnic cleansing, and of increased oppression.
"This is the leader of the biggest capitalist nation in the world blithely saying these things and I think they have announced the preparedness of the oligarchs to ravage the world for profit, to walk over the globe as they see fit.
"And it is not been called out - either through spinelessness or people waiting to see what the response of the people is.
"I think they've declared a war on human rights and on democracy."
Coppinger also called for the Occupied Territories Bill to be passed, an increased opposition and protest movement, and to stop the use of Shannon Airport for US troops.
"There is absolutely no place now for cowardice, for thinking that he [Trump] doesn't actually mean what he says, that it won't actually be as bad, and the reported 'love-bombing' which was the initial Government strategy to deal with President Trump.
"He is a war criminal. He shouldn't be dealt with."
— Enact the Occupied Territories Bill
— Socialist Party (@SocialistParty) February 5, 2025
— No greenwashing of genocide, meaning no visits to the White House for St. Patrick's Day
— We must continue to build the Palestine Solidarity Movement in opposition to Trump's imperialist agenda and vision, i.e., the annexation of Gaza pic.twitter.com/zqYTx1pXlv
Coppinger's sentiments were shared on Wednesday by her fellow PBP members TD Richard Boyd Barrett and Councillor Darragh Adelaide.
"Trump's latest ravings are deranged,"' Barrett said on social media on Wednesday, "an open declaration of a plan to commit the crime of ethnic cleansing in Gaza - a crime against humanity.
"These threats made while standing with Netanyahu, a war criminal subject to an ICC arrest warrant.
"The world must stand against this madness."
Trump's latest ravings are deranged -an open declaration of a plan to commit the crime of ethnic cleansing in Gaza-a crime against humanity. These threats made while standing with Netanyahu, a war criminal subject to an ICC arrest warrant.The world must stand against this madness https://t.co/5gIrvzEtar
— Richard Boyd Barrett (@RBoydBarrett) February 5, 2025
Adelaide separately wrote on X: "He's [Trump's] describing ethnically cleansing nearly 2 million people but Irish politicians are talking about sending more ministers to grovel at his feet on St. Patrick's Day.
"Selling their soul to keep this little tax haven going, at the expense of both Irish people and Palestinians."
In a statement on Wednesday, PBP described Trump's announcement as "utterly deranged" and "an open threat to commit ethnic cleansing."
Trump is "clearly intent on doubling down on the unspeakable horrors already enabled by Biden," PBP, who also called for a boycott last year, said.
"Ireland must make clear our total opposition to what the US is planning, but we have seen how the new government has already bent the knee to the US by dropping the Occupied Territories Bill.
"We can now expect senior government ministers to further debase themselves with a public show of subservience to the Trump regime on St Patrick’s Day.
"Irish people will be nauseated by the grotesque spectacle.
"We must not bend the knee to Trump's lethal agenda. Now more than ever, we need to impose sanctions on Israel for their genocide in Gaza and we must move immediately to end the use of Shannon Airport by the US military.
"No Irish politician should go to Washington to meet Donald Trump or his administration on St Patrick’s Day. To do so would be to provide political cover to a US regime that is intent on inflicting even more barbaric treatment on the 2 million people of Gaza.
"We make this call to the opposition parties, as well as to the government. We all have a moral and political responsibility to make a stand against US violence, against ethnic cleansing, and to stand with the people of Gaza."
Meanwhile, both Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris responded to Trump's Gaza plans on Wednesday by saying that Ireland remains committed to preserving the ceasefire and supporting a two-state solution.
While there are calls to boycott the St. Patrick's Day events at the White House, there is also speculation that the Trump administration could scale the engagements back as Republicans are reportedly "struggling to see what they get" out of it.
The Irish government, however, was preparing to, as Coppinger said, "love bomb" Trump, The Journal reported last week.
Trump's plans for the "US to take over Gaza" were announced the same week that the US President vowed to place tariffs on the EU, and a so-called "DEI musical in Ireland" was cited by the White House as 'wasteful' USAID spending.
Meanwhile, an online petition calling for Irish politicians to boycott the White House this March has drawn more than 1,900 signatures as of Wednesday evening. A similar petition was launched last year when Biden was still in office.
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