OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
3:15 PM – Monday, March 18, 2024
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, United States President Joe Biden cracked a number of offensive jokes about his Irish ancestry, including saying that he is surprised that his distant Irish relatives aren’t “in jail” and that he is “really not Irish” since he does not drink alcohol.
The 80-year-old president, who is approximately five-eighths Irish, made the stereotypical “jokes” while House Republicans are currently looking into his family’s shady foreign business dealings in the midst of Hunter Biden’s federal criminal inquiry.
“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 said as he recalled a six-day visit in which he met his relatives.
“There’s still a place called Finnegan’s pub … that’s related to my family,” the president 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.”
The president spoke at the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon at the Capitol following House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). McCarthy stated that he would be interested in cooperating with Biden and cited the success that Republican President Ronald Reagan and House Speaker Tip O’Neill (D-Mass.) had when working together.
“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.”
In his speech, Biden avoided directly addressing the mounting pressure from investigators who are looking into the president’s involvement in several business endeavors that go back to his vice presidency and even earlier. The business dealings also involve his brother, James Biden, and son Hunter in countries like China, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine.
Just one day after House Republicans disclosed banking information on the Biden family’s income from China to Hunter and James Biden, presidential daughter-in-law Hallie Biden, as well as an unidentified Biden, Biden went on a strange tangent and recalled a man that he referred to as “Paddy,” explaining that he was “a late [Chicago] Mayor [Richard] Daley, you know, brother-in-law-on-the-payroll kind of thing.”
Biden stated that he could not fathom how his grandfather, whom he referred to as “Mr. Rectitude,” would welcome such a “suspicious” individual to join the family for lunch.
“You’re wondering why I like Paddy?” Biden’s grandfather allegedly said.
“He said … ‘Let me tell you something, he’d look at you and say, ‘Ambrose, I’m going to cut your heart out.’ And you know he’d mean it,” the president remembered. “Or, ‘Ambrose, I’m going to jump off the bridge for you.’ Whatever he said, he’d do—just remember, do what you say. Do what you say.”
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