Three years into President Donald Trump’s term has already seen a lot of traditions either overlooked or handled differently. Now, Trump has chosen to skip yet another tradition by not attending the annual St. Patrick’s Day lunch.
CNN reports that Trump, along with Vice President Mike Pence, will not be attending the annual St. Patrick’s Day lunch at Capitol Hill on Thursday, the 12th of March. Trump and/or Pence’s non-attendance is the first time in 30 years since the founding of the event, that neither the president or the vice president will not be joining the rest of the lawmakers in the bipartisan affair. This would be the fourth time a president has missed the lunch.
The White House issued a statement of their rejection of the invitation to attend, saying that it was due to the personal conflict Trump has with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that prompted him to decline the invitation. The St. Patrick’s Day lunch is usually hosted by the current House Speaker, and Pelosi is the current House Speaker. “Since the Speaker has chosen to tear this Nation apart with her actions and rhetoric, the President will not participate in moments where she so often chooses to drive discord and disunity, and will instead celebrate the rich history and strong ties between the United States and Ireland at the White House,” according to the statement.
It is safe to say that Trump and Pelosi’s relationship was further strained during the impeachment trial. The last time the two were seen in the same room was during the National Prayer Breakfast. The actions of both towards each other made their obvious dislike for each other public – from the criticism during the National Prayer Breakfast to Pelosi’s tear up of Trump’s speech after the State of the Union address the day before.
Pelosi’s side was quick to respond to the White House statement, as reported by Politico. Drew Hammill, the deputy chief of staff, said, “There has never been stronger support in the Congress and in the country for the U.S. – Ireland bilateral relationship. One would think that the White House could set petty, partisan politics aside for this historic occasion.”
On the day itself, Trump will also be hosting the prime minister of Ireland to carry out another tradition; the Shamrock Bowl presentation.