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President Joe Biden brandished a note card complete with a pronunciation guide on Friday, even on a subject close to his heart — a St. Patrick’s Day meeting with the Irish Prime Minister, called the ‘Taoiseach’.
Biden, who has previously taken heat for his use of notecards, did not hide his cheat sheet during the televised address in the Oval Office.
‘Taoiseach, welcome back to the Oval Office,’ Biden said as he sat with his guest on Friday, holding his notepad in front of his unlit fireplace, which was fronted by a bowl of shamrock.
At one point, Biden turned his note card over so photographers could take a picture of the contents, which were titled ‘IRELAND MEETING DELICIPANTS’.
It’s in the cards: President Joe Biden holds a note card for his Oval Office meeting with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar
As well as providing coaching on the dangerous ‘Taoiseach’ title, the card had instructions on how to say the name of the Irish Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar. It also cited Ireland’s ambassador to the US, Geraldine Byrne Nason.
“Great chance to repay some of the hospitality you gave me when I was last in Ireland,” he said, correctly pronouncing the Gaelic word as “tee-shock.”
Biden referred to his recent trip to Ireland, where he took family members and staff to visit, where he also met with distant relatives.
Biden flipped over his bill card, which revealed pictures and the flag of Ireland
“Tee-shock” is how aides advised Biden to pronounce the visiting prime minister’s title
Biden also traveled to the Capitol for the annual Friends of Ireland lunch at Capitol where he again recognized the Taoiseach after the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who has clashed with Biden over funding for Ukraine, introduced the president as ‘America’s most famous Irishman’.
“Taioseach, thank you for joining us again,” Biden said, once again nailing the pronunciation, at least by American standards.