President Joe Biden celebrated St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday by welcoming Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar to the White House, where both men touted the “strong” bond between their countries.
Biden, who has always been staunchly proud of his Irish heritage, and the taoiseach hosted a reception to celebrate the Irish holiday in the East Room, where both men delivered remarks touting their shared desire for a ceasefire in Gaza and a Ukrainian victory against Russia’s military offensive.
“St. Patrick’s Day is about friendship. We have many friends here today because St. Patrick is a moment of great unity in Washington,” Biden said. “Whether you’re from a red state or a blue state, on this day, you’re Irish green.”
“We celebrate the bonds of our friendship today, connecting millions of Irish Americans and American people,” he continued. “We celebrate the friendship between the two nations, one that has shaped our past, strengthened our present, and inspires our future.”
Turning briefly to geopolitics, Biden went on to say that the U.S. and Ireland “stand proudly for liberty and against tyranny. We stand together in opposing Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine. You can clap for that.”
The taoiseach took a more political tone, devoting the majority of his remarks to his and Biden’s shared support for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. He also praised Biden’s commitment to aiding Ukraine and the Belfast-Good Friday agreement.
Varadkar said he and the Irish people are “deeply troubled” by reports of mass starvation and disease outbreaks in Gaza.
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“When I travel the world, leaders often ask me why the Irish have such empathy for the Palestinian people, and the answer is simple: we see our history in their eyes,” Varadkar said. “A story of displacement, of dispossession and national identity questioned and denied, and now hunger. So we support your work and that of your administration to secure a humanitarian ceasefire and to create the space for lasting peace.”
“We also see Israel’s history reflected in our eyes, a diaspora whose heart never left home no matter how many generations passed. A nation-state that was reborn and a language revived. I believe it’s possible to be for Israel and for Palestine, and I believe you do too,” he said to Biden.
