President Joe Biden received a standing ovation from Irish President Michael Higgins on Thursday. less than his dog.
While the two chiefs made their way to the grounds of the Irish chief’s residence for a tree-planting ceremony, Higgins attempted to introduce his American counterpart to Misneach, one of his large Bernese Mountain dog.
But Misneach—named after the Irish word for “courage”—wasn’t having any of it.
With Biden moving to show her some love, the two-year-old did his best to spoil US-Irish relations by barking at the president and backing off.
Social media users were quick to seize the moment, claiming that Misneach only responded to commands in Irish.
Misneach, the Irish president’s Bernese Mountain dog, is unimpressed by President Joe Biden’s attempts to build US-Irish relations, barking and reversing his advances
Or maybe she just knew the president’s history of inappropriately kissing and fondling anyone he met.
This isn’t the first time Misneach has stolen the show.
Two years ago, the puppy gnawed at that time Higgins’ hand drew attention when the Irish president delivered a somber message to commemorate the death of actor Tom Hickey.
The brief scuffle did nothing to dampen Biden’s enthusiasm for his Irish host, during his only full day in Dublin.
He signed his guest book with an Irish proverb, “Your feet will get you where your heart is,” and joked that he never wanted to go home.
Officials say Biden is spending a great deal of time reconnecting with his Irish heritage.
But they also had to play cleanup with Biden’s misstep when he jammed the Black and Tans, a British force that brutally cracked down on Irish rebels in the 1920s, with New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team.
It nearly overshadowed his work in Belfast earlier, when he managed to tread carefully on a tightrope of sectarian sensitivity with a well-received speech.
President Joe Biden reviews the troops as he meets with Irish President Michael Higgins at State House in Arras Ann Ochtarin.
Biden’s son Hunter also attended, arriving hand in hand with Biden’s sister Valerie
In Dublin, he arrived a day later at the President’s residence for the solemn welcome.
Hunter, 53, first arrived hand in hand with his Aunt Valerie, 77.
Then the beast stopped. Michael Higgins greeted Biden before heading inside to sign the guest book.
“I’m not going home,” said Biden, beaming. ‘I’m staying here.’
Isn’t this Amazing American Reporters? Just like the White House, right?
He and the Irish president tackled questions about a major security leak troubling Washington.
Biden was met by Higgins and his wife, Sabina, at the residence of President Aras Ann Ochtrain
Biden signed his host’s guest book with an Irish proverb, “Your feet will get you where your heart is,” and joked that he never wanted to go home.
The overseas visit resumed, with Biden ringing a “peace bell” designed to mark the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement that ended decades of conflict on the island of Ireland.
He has followed in the footsteps of other senior visitors by planting a tree on the grounds of Aras an Uachtarain, as the residence of the Irish chief is known.
And from there there was a meeting with Leo Varadkar, the Irish Prime Minister or Taoiseach.
Varadkar praised his guest for leading the war in Ukraine.
Democracy and freedom and the things we believe in are declining, or regressing, in large parts of the world, and if it weren’t for American leadership, if America and Europe weren’t working together, I don’t know what kind of world we live in,” he said.
Biden, who met the Irish leader in Washington on St. Patrick’s Day, praised Irish values and the country’s acceptance of thousands of Ukrainian refugees as he spoke of a “stronger and stronger relationship” between the United States and Ireland.
The day before he had given a speech about his Irish roots, but in praise of his rugby-playing cousin, he managed to refer to the New Zealand rugby team as the “Black and Tans”, the fearsome British security force.
It was incredibly clear that the President was talking about the All Blacks and Ireland’s defeat of New Zealand in 2016, Amanda Sloat, senior director of national security for Europe, said during the conference. morning.
The slide had threatened to overshadow Biden’s cross-border activities the day before, when he had to walk a fine line to keep Northern Ireland’s Protestant and Catholic communities happy.
But the reference to the hated British power quickly inflamed the pro-London Unionists in the north.
The White House even cleaned up the official transcript of the event at a restaurant in Dundalk, Co. Louth, crossing out the words “Black and Tans.”
President Joe Biden managed to overwhelm the feared black and tan security forces of the 1920s with New Zealand’s Sapphires (the All Blacks) on Wednesday.
The White House put out a corrected version Wednesday night
He read his commentary log about his cousin Rob Kearney, part of a team that beat New Zealand in Chicago in 2016: ‘He was a rugby player from hell, he beat hell from (the All Blacks).
In fact, he claimed, in ribbed comments, that Kearney had beaten the Black and Tans.
The Black and Tans were a British auxiliary security force deployed during the Irish War of Independence a century earlier.
They were notorious for their brutality against Republicans, Catholics, and anyone else who got in their way.
The force was responsible for shooting 14 people and wounding 60 others at a Gaelic football match in Croke Park in Dublin in 1920.
Biden has spoken of learning stories about their notoriety from his anti-British great-aunt Gertie.
His slip of the tongue was quickly taken as another sign that Biden harbors animosity toward the United Kingdom.
It almost took the shine off a decent day’s work for Biden. He arrived in Belfast in the midst of a political impasse, with unionists concerned that such a pro-Ireland president did not understand their position.
Instead, he used a speech at the University of Ulster to talk about his British roots and say that politics in Northern Ireland was a matter for the people of Northern Ireland.
“We’ve had incredibly positive feedback from all the communities and political parties out there,” said Sloat.
I think it’s a really important message for the President to be able to get across to the people of Northern Ireland.
White House press secretary Karen Jean-Pierre said Biden “had the best time of his life” later in the day when he crossed the border and met up with relatives in Co Louth.
Thursday is the official business day: meetings with the Irish President and Prime Minister, followed by an address to the Irish Parliament.
This makes him the fourth president to address a joint session of the Irish Parliament after Kennedy in 1963, Ronald Reagan in 1984 and Bill Clinton in 1995.
Officials said the speech would focus on “American cooperation to advance democracy, peace, security, and prosperity, as well as the deep shared history between the United States and Ireland.”
This will be followed by a state dinner at Dublin Castle.
Friday is the most family time. Biden will travel west to see the family in Palina, May, and address an expected crowd of about 20,000 people.
Biden is meeting the distant cousins inside the Windsor bar and restaurant on Wednesday night
Biden’s motorcade leaves Carlingford, Co Louth Wednesday afternoon
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
