There are pros and cons to a visit to Ireland by Donald Trump but Leo Varadkar has cleverly ensured that the border - and Brexit - will provide a key focus during any trip by the controversial president.
The US president declared his intention to travel to the Republic, possibly next year, during a cordial meeting with the taoiseach at the White House yesterday.
These meetings as part of the St Patrick's Day celebrations are traditionally warm affairs, providing Irish political leaders with the opportunity to look statesmanlike on the world stage and allowing presidents to promote their love for Irish Americans, always an important constituency.
But there is also serious business to be done and trade was at the top of Mr Varadkar's agenda during his discussions with the president.
Of course, for the taoiseach, any economic strategy must be considered in the context of Brexit and the still unresolved matter of the border.
Mr Varadkar said the president was very aware of the issues that could affect Northern Ireland if there is a return to a hard border, adding: ''I think he will be very much on our side in working for a solution to make sure that doesn't happen.''
The suggestion that President Trump is on the side of the Irish government on this issue may raise eyebrows in London, where the British government likes to think it has a 'special relationship' with the US.
They may not be thrilled at the prospect of Mr Trump visiting the border during a trip to the Republic or expressing solidarity with the Irish position on future arrangements.
The president's proposed trip also stands in stark contrast to the Brexit secretary David Davis, whose failure to visit the border area looks all the more glaring with each passing week.
With just a year to go until Britain's official date for withdrawal, we are no closer to establishing precise arrangements on this crucial issue.
It is also difficult to see how Theresa May's plan for a frictionless border while remaining outside a customs union can be reconciled.
This view was supported by a Northern Ireland Affairs Committee report which was unable to find any border solution currently in operation across the globe that would enable physical infrastructure to be avoided.
It added that any additional infrastructure would not only be politically objectionable but highly ineffective and unworkable.
The report also rejected any proposals for a border down the Irish Sea saying it would create a costly barrier to trade.
This is the conundrum facing the British government but with no sustainable plan in place, time is fast running out.
