JD Vance’s funny quip about wife Usha’s fashion choice in front of Irish Taoiseach: Live updates

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor

Vice President JD Vance kicked off a day of diplomacy in Washington by hosting the Irish Taoiseach and going green.

During remarks at the VP’s residence, Vance spoke about taking a week-long vacation to Ireland and admiring its ‘beautiful landscape’ and technological growth.

Then he stressed the bonds of friendship between the countries. Sporting a green tie, Vance spoke of how it was easy for his wife Usha to wear the color.

‘It’s also a really great opportunity for Usha to wear her pair of green pants. She’s had these in the closet for years and finally gets to break them out,’ he said, earning laughs.

Among those in the audience were Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who has been a reliable vote for the conservative majority.

Many Americans have Irish ancestry, giving the visit domestic political import. Vance wrote about his own lineage in his autobiography. ‘To understand me, you must understand that I am a Scots-Irish hillbilly at heart,’ he wrote.

New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen announced she will not seek reelection to the Senate in 2026.

The Democrat has held the seat since 2009, during which time the state’s politics have been shifting.

Donald Trump saw gains in the state in 2024, and he got the highest GOP candidate voting total there in 20 years.

In 2017, the state elected a two-term Republican governor, Chris Sununu. He could likely be the GOP frontrunner to fill the seat.

In her announcement, Shaheen noted that though she is leaving Washington she is not retiring.

President Donald Trump used a simple trick to enjoy his favorite fast food while he lost 30 pounds.

Fox News’ host Sean Hannity revealed the president’s diet trick during an interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

‘I hope I’m not revealing something I shouldn’t,’ Hannity said.

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor

President Donald Trump will meet with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the White House today as the pair attend events to underscore U.S.-Irish solidarity and get a very early start to St. Patrick’s Day.

Martin had to skip events with Joe Biden – who prizes his Irish roots – last year after he came down with a case of COVID. He ended up taking part virtually.

Martin and Trump hold a bilateral meeting in the morning, then head to the Capitol for the annual Friends of Ireland lunch. If the festivities seem early, it’s because they are. The House and Senate are set to be in recess the week of March 17th – assuming the government hasn’t shut down by then.

Then it’s back to the White House for a shamrock reception Wednesday evening. That could give Trump the chance to weigh in on trade, Gaza, and a diplomatic breakthrough with Ukraine.

It won’t be all fun and games. The Taoiseach, like other visiting foreign leaders, will struggle to try to insulate his country from Trump tariffs that have rocked financial markets.

It is Trump’s first meeting with a world leader since his angry confrontation with Ukrainian President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

A growing number of Americans have a positive view of the Hamas terrorist group.

Despite a 12 percent improvement in how the public views Hamas from October 2023 to now, the overall opinion of the group remains largely negative, according to a new DailyMail/J.L. Partners poll.

The president indicated there would be some short-term pain from his tariffs but that it was a necessary step to restore American manufacturing.

‘I think our country had to do this, we had to do this,’ Trump said. ‘Other countries have taken away our businesses, taken away our jobs.’

The Department of Education temporarily closed all its offices in the Washington, D.C., area for ‘security’ reasons amid reports it is slashing half its workforce in cuts driven by Elon Musk’s DOGE.

Offices closed at 6PM on Tuesday, according to a notice to employees sent by James Hairfield, from the office of security, facilities and logistics at the department.

The email notified all workers to bring their work laptops from the office and work from home starting Wednesday, March 12.

Elon Musk’s DOGE remains largely popular among Americans as the agency estimates it has slashed $105 billion since Donald Trump took office.

According to the latest DailyMail.com/J.L. Partners poll of 1,000 U.S. registered voters, DOGE’s approval rating is at 48%, which is quite high just over 50 days into the second Donald Trump administration.

However, 52% of those voters polled disapprove of the new agency that’s creating shockwaves across the government.

While tens of thousands of Washington DC federal workers are being laid off, one Trump administration official tasked with cutting bureaucracy appears to have been using her government office to film fashion influencer videos.

McLaurine Pinover has been posting video after video not to justify mass layoffs but to moonlight as an aspiring Instagram fashion influencer to her 800 followers.