Rejecting a strong demand from Solidarity TD Paul Murphy that he should not meet President Donald Trump this month, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he would use the meeting to raise difficult issues with the American president.

Calling on the Taoiseach not to visit the White House on St Patrick’s Day, as is the annual tradition, Murphy said: “He [Donald Trump] is a president who has not just bragged about sexual assault, not just been accused by multiple women of sexual assault, but whose policies and appointments reveal a deeply sexist and homophobic outlook”.

The Taoiseach replied that he believed very strongly in individual freedom including women’s rights and those of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

“Will the Taoiseach discuss President Trump’s anti-Muslim policies, LGBT issues and climate change specifically,” asked Murphy. “I will raise with President Trump the issues as listed by the deputy earlier, which I had said I would raise,” Varadkar replied.

Varadkar also said that the strong ties between Ireland and America would “outlast any president or any Taoiseach and I think it’s important that we see it all in that perspective”.