A rescheduled Oval Office visit is now on the cards later in the year after Micheál Martin missed out on the St Patrick's Day meeting due to a positive Covid test.
The Taoiseach is taking his Covid isolation "day by day" but is to remain in Washington until next week.
As the Irish Examiner reports, officials are looking at the possibility of whether he could leave the country after five days, and not 10, if his tests come back as negative.
This would allow him to travel to Brussels next Thursday for a meeting of EU leaders. President Joe Biden is also due to be in Brussels next week for an extraordinary NATO meeting to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Mr Martin had been staying in Blair House, just across the road from the White House, however, he will move to the Irish Ambassador's residence where he will continue out his isolation.
It is understood that officials are now examining the possibility of a return trip for an in-person meeting with President Biden later in the year, after the St Patrick's Day event in the Oval Office had to be changed to a virtual discussion when Mr Martin's PCR test came back as positive on Wednesday night.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also invited Mr Martin to California during a virtual meeting between the two.
"I wouldn't rule out either, a lot of people would be happy to see him back in America and Washington, there is nothing definitive, but it's possible," a source said.
It is understood that this would happen later in the year before Mr Martin is due to hand over the Taoiseach's position to Tánaiste Leo Varadkar.
Mr Martin and one other member of the delegation who also tested positive will now remain in America. The Taoiseach will work remotely from the Ambassador's residence and is expected to chair the weekly Cabinet meeting virtually on Tuesday.
