Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said the US is no longer a world leader in LGBT rights.

[OnDoutside]

And he's going to say so to Mike Pence !!!

?width=600&s=bn-832047

Mr Varadkar said he believed the majority of American people would agree with him, even if the Trump administration does not. The Taoiseach made the comments during an interview at the South by South West festival in Austin, Texas.

snip

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the US is no longer a world leader in LGBT rights.

Mr Varadkar said he believed the majority of American people would agree with him, even if the Trump administration does not.

snip

Mr Varadkar said he would raise gay rights when he has a bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday.

"What I intend to say is that for the vast majority of people around the world including people from gay lesbian transgender backgrounds, we have always seen America as a beacon of freedom," the Taoiseach said.

"This is the land of the free, the home of the brave. This is where the LGBT rights movement began."

He added: "It is really tough to see a country that is built on freedom, and built on individual freedom somehow not being a world leader in that space anymore.

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/us-no-longer-lgbt-rights-world-leader-says-leo-varadkar-832047.html

[Cha]

1. No kidding.. trumputin happened.

[OnDoutside]

2. Here's a fuller piece on what he said

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he is concerned Irish whiskey could be targeted as part of the escalating trade war between the US and the EU. The Taoiseach said when he hears the EU threaten to put import tariffs on US bourbon whisky it concerns him that Irish whiskey could be hit with tariffs.

"The day before I go to the White House the European Commission will announce it's response and what has been hinted at is tariffs on denim jeans and bourbon whiskey. "When I hear bourbon whiskey I think the next response might be tariffs against Irish whiskey, so what you get into is a spiral of tit for tats." Speaking at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, Mr Varadkar warned that a cross-Atlantic trade war would be “bad for everyone”.

On Vice President Mike Pence’s stance on marriage equality, Mr Varadkar said he always saw the US a “beacon of freedom” but added it is “really tough” to see that America is no longer a “world leader” on gay rights.

He said he thinks the majority of American people agree with him on marriage equality “even if the administration doesn’t”.

The Taoiseach said he intended to raise LGBT rights with the Vice President when they meet on Friday.

SNIP

"Having reached a stage where we have peace and relative prosperity on our island where we have most of the time anyway powersharing north of the border and where borders don't really matter anymore, we can't risk going backwards," he said.

The Taoiseach added Ireland would not be following the UK out of the EU.

Mr Varadkar said he would not comment on US migration policy but got a round of applause when he said 17pc of people living in Ireland were no born there and "we are all the better for it."

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/leo-varadkar-irish-whiskey-could-be-targeted-as-part-of-trade-war-between-us-and-eu-36693530.html