U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Wednesday for an annual St. Patrick's Day celebration at the White House. During the event, Martin presented Trump with a traditional shamrock bowl. The pair also attended an annual luncheon at the Capitol. Martin noted the ties between the two countries and the tradition of the ceremony. Trump echoed that sentiment. "We have come together to this beautiful White House this evening for the annual shamrock ceremony, a living symbol of the long and unique friendship between Americans and the Irish. And we're always going to have that friendship," he said. Despite the warm words during the ceremony, the two leaders voiced differing visions over trade earlier in the day. As they met in the Oval Office, Trump added Ireland to the list of countries he says are taking advantage of the United States. The Republican president has been sparring with U.S. allies and adversaries alike over trade, slapping double-digit tariffs on imports from countries from Canada to China and in between. During the appearance with Martin, Trump repeated his claim that the European Union was created just to stick it to the U.S. Asked if Ireland, a member of the EU, was taking advantage, too, Trump said, “of course they are. I have great respect for Ireland and what they did and they should have done just what they did, but the United States shouldn’t have let it happen.” He was referring to the concentration of U.S. pharmaceutical companies in Ireland, due to the country's tax policies. Martin offered only gentle pushback to some of Trump's comments and countered during the ceremony by noting Ireland's contributions to the U.S. "We've built prosperity through free and fair trade with partners all over the world, and particularly here in these United States," Martin said during the ceremony. "Let us continue to build on that foundation, bringing ever growing prosperity to both our great peoples," he said.