President Joe Biden made several jokes at the expense of his Irish heritage during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
At the Friends of Ireland Luncheon at the United States Capitol, Biden entertained the audience by taking jabs at some Irish stereotypes, including their love of alcohol and apparent criminality.
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“I’ve been to Ireland many times, but not to actually look up, to find my actual family members. And there are so many — and they actually weren’t in jail,” Biden joked.
He then moved on to perhaps the most well-known Irish stereotype: their penchant for drinking alcohol.
“There’s still a place called Finnegan’s pub … that’s related to my family,” he continued. “I’m the only Irishman you ever met, though, that’s never had a drink, so I’m OK. I’m really not Irish.”
Biden also used the occasion to call for bipartisanship, echoing comments of fellow Irishman, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was also at the event.
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“I agree with the speaker, there’s no reason why we can’t find common ground. There’s no reason why we can’t hope to change this direction of the extremes in both parties are pushing,” Biden said. “I think it’s important. I think it’s really important. And that’s the power of friendship. I think it’s the power of — it’s the strength of our partnership, if we work at it, and simply put, I think it’s the Irish of it.”
The president and McCarthy sat at the same table during the event. They were joined by the visiting Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
