The news that Donald Trump had won another term as US president was still sinking in when thoughts began to turn to how it would hit closer to home.
But while some commentators mulled the impact on Irish transatlantic trade and the potential hit to corporation tax receipts in the future, some Irish business figures have been celebrating.
Intercom boss Eoghan McCabe, who shifted his political focus from Robert F Kennedy jnr to Trump in recent months, was taking his recent US citizen status to heart. “America is awesome”, he posted on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform X. “Democracy reigns.” McCabe followed it up with a repost “One side had one. One didn’t. Fun won.”
[ Intercom boss wants ‘aggression on all fronts’ in €87m AI investmentOpens in new window ]
McCabe had previously attended a fundraiser for Trump. One social media post pictured him with the Republican presidential candidate.
File being prepared for DPP over insider trading
Christmas tech for kids: great gift ideas with safety features for parental peace of mind
MenoPal app offers proactive support to women going through menopause
Ezviz RE4 Plus review: Efficient budget robot cleaner but can suffer from wanderlust under the wrong conditions
There was little reaction from his Intercom co-founders Des Traynor and Ciaran Lee, at least publicly. But McCabe is not an outlier in his support of Trump; a number of other high-profile tech executives had come out to support him, including Musk and venture capital billionaires Marc Andreesen and Ben Horowitz. Though if Trumps claims are to be believed, there are plenty more willing to cosy up to him to gain favour – as long as it is not in public.
[ What the EU fears most from a second Donald Trump termOpens in new window ]
It is a timely reminder that big tech is no different to any big business – it will follow the money and the power. It remains to be seen how much fun is in store for the Irish economy if Trump’s policies on tariffs and corporation tax are implemented.
- Sign up for the Business Today newsletter and get the latest business news and commentary in your inbox every weekday morning
- Opt in to Business push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Our Inside Business podcast is published weekly – Find the latest episode here
