Ireland’s prime minister appears to be backtracking over remarks he made in the country’s parliament about Donald Trump using “racist and dangerous” language.

Enda Kenny is to present a bowl of Irish shamrocks to Trump in the White House on Thursday as part of annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations. But the run-up to the event has been far from celebratory.

The taoiseach, who is expected to resign in the coming weeks after fierce criticism of his handling of a crisis in the police force, has flown into an awkward diplomatic row over previous remarks he made about Trump.

Last May Kenny told the Dáil in Dublin he was concerned over what he described as the then Republican primary candidate’s use of “racist and dangerous language”.

The remarks drew the ire of Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader and Trump supporter, who called on Kenny to apologise to Trump in person.

Speaking before the St Patrick’s Day party in Washington on Wednesday, Kenny sought to distance himself from the accusation of racism, saying Trump’s use of controversial language was “not related to his personality”.

“I’m not into English classes,” he said. “The language that was used on that occasion was, in my view, not the language that I would use, but it was not related to his personality.”

While he is in the US, uncertainty continues to surround Kenny’s immediate political intentions in Ireland after it emerged he had changed a keynote speech he was to make to the Ireland Fund, in which he had referred to his meeting with the Trump administration as “my last with you as taoiseach”.

Kenny had been expected to step down as taoiseach and leader of the Fine Gael party after he returns from Washington.

An embargoed copy of the speech fell into the Irish media’s hands only for it to be withdrawn from them an hour later.

Pressed later on why that speech was withdrawn and rewritten, Kenny said: “The speech that you got is not the speech that I’m delivering tonight, that’s why. I’ve already explained to my own parliamentary party my intention and how I intend to go about that.”

Despite the gaffe Kenny is still expected to retire after six years as taoiseach and Fine Gael chief, possibly after Easter.

There are two frontrunners to replace Kenny as Ireland’s premier. They are the openly gay minister Leo Varadkar and the bookies’ favourite, Simon Coveney, Ireland’s housing minister.