President Joe Biden made clear he had no intention of delving into the frantic politics of Northern Ireland on Wednesday, insisting it was his role to listen during his brief visit to Belfast.
His trip aims to celebrate 25 years of peace in the province since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in Belfast.
But local political parties are deadlocked over a return to a power-sharing government, and pro-London unionist figures are on alert for any slight from Biden, who is deeply proud of his Irish roots.
On Wednesday, the president was asked what he plans to say to the political parties when he meets their leaders later in the day.
“I will listen,” he said during a meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
President Joe Biden met Rishi Sunak on Wednesday morning during his 17-hour visit to Belfast, and made clear he would not get into domestic political controversies.
Biden was seen disembarking Air Force One on the tarmac at RAF Aldergrove Base in County Antrim on Tuesday.
Hardline Unionists had earlier warned him to stay out of Northern Ireland politics, saying it would be like a Frenchman showing up in London and lecturing British leaders on how to conduct their affairs.
Despite all the turmoil, Biden appeared relaxed during the meeting with Sunak.
“What a view outside,” he said from the top floor of his downtown hotel.
The reason for Biden’s trip is to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Belfast Agreement that ended decades of sectarian and political violence known as “The Troubles”.
But he arrived at a critical time, with the region’s power-sharing government suspended amid political wrangling.
Militant unionists are boycotting the establishment, which means it can’t sit still.
White House officials avoided any suggestion that Biden would try to pressure the holdouts.
Unionists were quick to accuse Biden of anti-British sentiment.
As Ian Paisley Jr., of the hardline Democratic Unionist Party, told TalkTV, “The poor slave is unfortunately quite fallible,” adding, “It would be like a Frenchman coming to you and telling you what to do in England.”
Officials were also forced to defend President Joe Biden’s trip to Ireland on Wednesday, insisting it was practical – not just fun – and fending off accusations that he was anti-British during his brief visit to Northern Ireland.
His day was due to start with a meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, before greeting five local party leaders followed by a speech at the University of Ulster.
But questions about his stance on Britain and Ireland, and who pays to see his son Hunter and sister Valerie travel with him, dominated a morning briefing.
Amanda Sloat, senior director for Europe at the National Security Council, was asked if the famous Irish-American president was anti-British, as pro-London Unionist politicians have claimed.
“I think the president’s record shows that he is not anti-British,” she said.
However, Biden does have a history of making anti-British jokes, often describing his mother’s hostility to the United Kingdom and its crown.
Sloat gave examples of cooperation between the Biden administration and London.
“The UK remains one of our strongest and closest allies,” she said.
And it’s hard, frankly, to think of an issue in the world that we don’t cooperate closely with the British on, which is why the President wanted him to have the opportunity to catch up with Prime Minister Sunak this morning to start his day here in Belfast.
Crowds gathered outside the Belfast city center hotel where Biden was staying on Wednesday
Police placed a ring of steel around the downtown hotel where Biden stayed Tuesday night
Biden was seen in his Beast armored car as he arrived in Belfast on Tuesday night
And with only 17 hours in Belfast before heading off on a genealogical tour of Ireland, Sloat was asked if the visit was really a taxpayer-funded family reunion.
“It is not surprising that I would argue with this characterization,” she said froze, before enumerating the engagements with the British Prime Minister and the official events to celebrate the Good Friday Convention in Belfast.
In his speech at Ulster University, Biden will congratulate the province and its leaders on 25 years of peace with a speech at Ulster University.
Sloat said she would not discuss what would happen at the meetings.
“I think in general and as you indicated, the president clearly supports the institutions,” she told reporters at a morning briefing.
“The president, like anyone in Northern Ireland and the leader of the United Kingdom, would like to see the institutions work.”
Biden arrived in Belfast amid a major police operation, the largest in the province’s past 10 years.
About 300 officers were recruited from elsewhere in the UK to bolster the numbers, with the total cost coming to £7 million (about $8.7 million).
His main official sermon on Wednesday is an address at the University of Ulster.
Biden’s maternal line immigrated from Ireland during the Great Famine. The Blewitts left the Mayo Company and settled in Scranton, PA, while the Finnegans left Co Louth and came to New York
And according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, the president will deliver at least two messages.
“Congratulations on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which brought unprecedented peace and prosperity,” Kirby said. And this kind of goes to the second goal, which is to talk about the importance of trying to work on trade and economic policies that benefit all societies, in addition to the United States.
Biden previously said on Twitter: “25 years ago, Northern Ireland’s leaders chose peace.
The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement ended decades of violence and brought stability. I look forward to celebrating the anniversary in Belfast, and reaffirming the United States’ commitment to preserving peace and promoting prosperity.
