Main pic: Enda McClafferty poses for the cameras in front of the White House ahead of yesterday’s Oval Office press conference.
A brave Donegal journalist got to ask US President, Donald Trump, the first questions during yesterday’s media scrum in the Oval Office.
Enda McClafferty, BBC Northern Ireland’s Political Editor, was covering Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s visit to the White House ahead of the annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
From Letterkenny, he spent much of his youth between Downings and Crossroads, Killygordon, but now lives in St Johnston with artist wife Marina Hamilton and three daughters, twins Kellie and Jade, and Chloe.
When the assembled world media was asked if they had any questions, the not-so-backward McClafferty was the first to put his hand up.
In front of a TV and online audience of millions, he confidently asked the most powerful man in the world for his views on the potential trade war between the EU and the US. He also pressed Mr Trump about the situation of the thousands of ‘undocumented Irish’ in America.
Addressing Mr McClafferty directly, President Trump said he loved the Irish and many of them voted for him, so he didn’t want to risk losing that support.
“I think the Irish love Trump,” he boasted.
“We won the Irish with a tremendous amount of votes – I want to thank you very much. We won in the 80s with the Irish, I got the Irish vote. I think I have it locked up pretty good, unless I did something very stupid, like drained your country, your wonderful place, of all of its (US) companies. If I drained Ireland of all the (US) companies, maybe I’d lose the Irish vote. No, I love your country, I love it. I’ve been there many times, as you know, and we don’t want to do anything to hurt Ireland. But, we do want fairness and he (Taoiseach) understands that.”
BBC Northern Ireland Political Editor, Enda McClafferty from Donegal.
Enda McClafferty joined the BBC in March 2000 and first presented BBC Radio Foyle’s Breakfast programme. He worked as a reporter on BBC NI’s Spotlight, as well as a stand-in presenter on all of BBC Radio Ulster’s current affairs programmes and The Nolan Show.
Before joining the broadcaster, Mr McClafferty was a reporter with the Belfast Telegraph from 1995 to 2000. Prior to that, he worked with a number of local newspapers in Donegal.
He is the son of retired schoolteacher, Hughie McClafferty, from Downings, and Helen (The Farmer) McMenamin, from Crossroads, Killygordon.
Enda McClafferty got close enough to snap President Trump alongside Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the Oval Office press conference.
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