President Joe Biden made a series of cringeworthy jokes at the expense of Irish people at a St. Patrick’s Day event Friday.
While speaking at the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar Friday afternoon, Biden made a series of jokes stereotyping Irish people as drunks and criminals. Biden said that because he doesn’t drink and doesn’t have relatives in jail, he’s “really not Irish.” Twitter users pointed out the stereotypes, and also that he does, in fact, have relatives in legal trouble.
Biden began his remarks with a quote attributed to the 20th-century Irish diplomat Shane Leslie. “Every St. Patrick’s Day, every Irishman goes out to find another Irishman to make a speech to,” Biden said. “Well, that’s why I’m here.”
He then recounted a story from his time as vice president, when a previous prime minister, or Taoiseach, told former President Obama to stop sending Biden on trips. “[T]he Taoiseach — I brought him into the Oval and he sat down. And before Barack could say anything, he said ‘For God’s sake, Barack, let the boy come home.’” Biden said in a butchered Irish accent. “‘Let him come home.’ And he said, ‘You keep sending him to places like Afghanistan, Iraq, and all the — let him come home.’”
Next, Biden talked about a previous trip to Ireland to visit his ancestral family. “It was a great experience,” he said. “I’d 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.”
