Varadkar refuses to withdraw invite to President Trump
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has rejected calls to withdraw an invitation to Donald Trump to visit Ireland.
TDs Paul Murphy and Richard Boyd Barrett told Mr Varadkar that instead of inviting the US president to the country, he should be criticising him for his policies.
"Trump is racist, sexist and dangerous. Do you agree?" Mr Murphy asked the Taoiseach during question time in the Dail on Tuesday.
Mr Boyd Barrett added: "Is there any red line over which this man crosses that you will say 'that's enough now ... we are not inviting him to this country'?"
The Taoiseach however refused to make any personal criticism of President Trump, saying it would not be beneficial to Ireland.
He admitted however that he disagrees with many of the President's policies.
"I disagree with a lot of the Trump administration's policies - certainly on migration, climate change and North Korea
"But I'm not going to attack him personally. I don't believe attacking President Trump personally would bring about a change of policy or benefit us as a country," said Mr Varadkar.
He said that if he meets Mr Trump in Washington on St Patrick's Day in March, it is his intention "to raise some of the concerns that we have as a country and as a government about policy in those areas".
Mr Varadkar said that no dates have been arranged for the president's visit.
