Vice Presidential Pool Reports of March 12, 2025

VPOTUS pool 1 - breakfast with Irish taoiseach

VPOTUS welcomed Taoiseach Micheál Martin for a St. Patrick's Day breakfast on Wednesday at the vice president's residence this morning at 8:26 a.m. . VPOTUS and the Second Lady greeted Martin and his wife, Mary O'Shea, with handshakes on the front porch of the residence. Vance patted Martin on the shoulder.

Vance and Martin shook hands a second time when a press photographer asked the two men to repeat the gesture. "Anything for the cameras," Vance said with a laugh.

Reporters were brought into the residence at 8:40 a.m., where VPOTUS spoke for four minutes. He welcomed guests, recalled a trip that he and his wife had taken to Ireland, and joked that the breakfast was an excuse for his wife to wear her green slacks. "She's had these in the closet for years," he said.

VPOTUS also pointed out that he was wearing shamrock socks. He suggested the socks were a bit of a risk for him because POTUS prefers more conservative sartorial choices, and joked that he viewed the socks as an important diplomatic gesture. "That is the only reason I'm wearing these socks," he said.

Martin then spoke for six minutes. He thanked the Vances for their hospitality, underscored the importance of the ties between Ireland and the United States, and spoke about the role that peace plays in U.S. foreign policy.

"We know that building peace is a difficult and painstaking task, and we are ready to play our part to support the work to end conflict and to secure peace in the Ukraine," Martin said.

Guests at the breakfast, who were seated around tables with Kelly green tablecloths, included Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Senator Tim Sheehy, Senator Susan Collins and Robert F. Kennedy, the health secretary.

The breakfast menu was a cup for fresh berries, poached eggs Benedict with roasted potato cake, cured ham and sliced avacado and a bread basket that included Irish soda bread, pepper scones, black olive bread and honey butter.