The US secretary of state has warned Tánaiste Simon Harris that addressing the US-Ireland trade imbalance is a matter of “priority” for the Trump administration.

Marco Rubio spoke with Mr Harris – who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence – on Tuesday.

However, a read-out of the call from the Irish Government side omitted Mr Rubio’s trade warning.

A statement released by Mr Harris’s officials in the aftermath of the conversation noted that the pair “agreed on the mutually beneficial nature of the dynamic US-Ireland relationship”.

A spokeswoman for the secretary of state said that the conversation between Mr Rubio and Mr Harris centred on “a range of pressing global issues”.

“They discussed the US priority to address the US-Ireland trade imbalance and reaffirmed the importance of our partnership in addressing issues like Gaza, the conflict in Ukraine, and space cooperation,” the spokesman said.

Asked why the Tánaiste’s statement did not refer to Mr Rubio’s comments on the trade imbalance, a spokesperson for Mr Harris said that trade was “not a significant focus of the call”.

Photo: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)