Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are all waiting to see what will happen tomorrow with US tariffs. However, we know there are no winners in a trade war and that we should not see a knee-jerk reaction from the EU. At this point, we need cool heads. I was taken aback by what Paschal Donohoe had to say at the weekend when he asserted on RTÉ that Europe has to respond. We will not face down an erratic US Administration by copying it. We cannot, on the one hand, say that what Trump is doing is act of self-harm and then do the same in kind. The ESRI was very clear about tariffs and EU counter-tariffs: they both hurt the economy and both impact on jobs. Just as Trump's tariffs will be a tax on American people, EU tariffs would be a tax on Irish and EU people. We should not cut off our nose to spite our face. We need to prioritise Irish interests and protect jobs and workers and their families. Does the Taoiseach agree that talk of automatic counter-tariffs is premature and not in Ireland's interest at this stage?

See this speech in context