On the 12th, the U.S. President and the Vice President met with the visiting Prime Minister of Ireland at the White House. According to reports, the Vice President wore a pair of white socks with a green shamrock pattern that day, which caught the President's attention. During the meeting, the President interrupted the conversation and made some comments on the Vice President's socks.
“I have to talk about inflation,” the President suddenly stopped and pointed at the Vice President's feet. “I like your socks. What's going on with these socks?” After the Vice President explained that it was to show respect to the Irish Prime Minister, the President continued, “I'm trying to stay focused, but I'm really impressed by the Vice President's socks.”
March 17th every year is St. Patrick's Day. It originated in Ireland to commemorate Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Irish - Americans usually wear shamrocks and green clothing on this day and give shamrock ornaments to guests.
After this episode, the President didn't bring up the topic of inflation again.
The Vice President wasn't the only one whose clothing attracted attention that day. The Prime Minister, the Vice President and other officials all chose green ties that day to match the traditional green color of St. Patrick's Day. However, the President wore a red tie, which was in sharp contrast to others.
During the meeting with the Irish Prime Minister on the 12th, the President expressed dissatisfaction with the trade imbalance between the two countries. He said that Ireland was “taking advantage of the United States” and criticized Ireland for luring away “pharmaceutical and other companies” from the United States through tax and other preferential policies, which damaged U.S. employment and the economy. The Prime Minister retorted that Ireland also had many investment enterprises in the United States, and the two sides had a mutually beneficial relationship.