Before the cameras rolled at Shannon Airport in June 2019, Trump apparently had something on his mind besides Brexit or the Irish border. The conversation he wanted to have centered on Bette Midler and, more specifically, how satisfying it was that she’d just apologized to him.
Leo Varadkar, who welcomed Trump that day as Ireland’s Taoiseach, recalled the encounter years later during an interview with Virgin Media News anchor Colette Fitzpatrick.
The two men had barely exchanged introductions before Trump brought up his long-running Twitter feud with Midler, clearly pleased with how it had ended.
“These were impolite words to refer to anyone,” Varadkar said, describing what Trump said about the actress. “I was very keen to steer him off that to more serious matters before cameras came in.” He never repeated the actual language.
That awkward exchange turned into something much more revealing.
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Fitzpatrick later asked whether Trump had been “bitchy” once the cameras were gone.
Varadkar didn’t spend long thinking about it.
“Yes,” he replied with a laugh.
The conversation soon shifted from personal stories to Trump’s broader personality, and Varadkar’s assessment became considerably more serious. Asked what he believed really drives Trump, he pointed to what he sees as an unusual combination of strengths and weaknesses.
“While he is an intelligent man and nobody should underestimate him, he’s not knowledgeable,” he said.
“So it’s a very strange combination of somebody who is quite bright, manipulative, knows how to push buttons, knows how to get people on side and believes that he’s on their side. Yet, at the same time, he has very little knowledge of how the world or anything works, and that’s a very strange combination, I think, quite a dangerous one.”
One question, however, seemed to make Varadkar pause more than the others.
Fitzpatrick asked whether he actually liked Trump personally. Varadkar admitted his answer could “get him in trouble” before giving it anyway.
“I certainly didn’t dislike him,” he said.
That response opened the door to a broader reflection on why populist politicians continue connecting with voters.
“There’s a reason why populists like Farage, like Trump, and others do well. They’re relatable to a lot of people. They can be very friendly sometimes. They speak in a language that people can understand.”
He contrasted that with the way he believes many mainstream politicians communicate.
“A lot of politicians, particularly centrist politicians, we’re forever talking about our strategies and our pillars and our strategic priorities and things being ongoing and second stage in committee and all this kind of stuff that people don’t understand.”
He finished with a criticism aimed as much at his own side as anyone else’s.
“Populists can be very relatable and use language people understand. And I think that’s one of the things that we actually have to change, those of us who are center-ground mainstream politicians.”
The Shannon visit itself wasn’t only about memorable conversations.
Trump and Varadkar spent much of the meeting discussing Brexit, trade, Northern Ireland and the Irish border before Trump continued on to Doonbeg, where he has owned a golf resort since 2014.
Featured image via YouTube screengrab
