In Ireland, Biden Draws on a Family Story Rooted in Hope

In front of the Cathedral of St. Muredach on the banks of the River Moy in Ballina, the hometown of his Irish ancestors, President Biden drew from his family’s story to share a message of hope and optimism with and for the Irish people. the rest of the world – a message that can fuel the last presidential campaign, if it wants to open.

“Our world is now at an inflection point where the decisions we make today will affect our future for decades to come,” Mr Biden said. “And at this time we need hope and courage more than ever.”

Linking his political views to his family’s story, the president told the crowd – and the world – that this is “the time to rededicate our hearts, minds, hearts and souls to progress. To lay the foundations, brick by brick, for a better future for our children and grandchildren.

Few politicians in the United States received approval from Mr. Biden in Ballina, with an address in front of a Disney-like cathedral, with rock star lights and endless noise from the crowd. Earlier on Friday, thousands of people lined the banks of the river, braving the cold and heavy rain, for a chance to see Mr. Biden. Musical acts played on the big screen as the president slowly made his way across Ireland from Dublin in the evening.

Mr. Biden drank, giving a short but energetic speech in which almost no policy examination could greet him on his return to Washington. The speech was an emotional conclusion to a three-day tour that has become a personal distraction as he tries to maintain global support for defending Ukraine amid low approval ratings and a series of leaks of classified Pentagon material.

He also faced lingering questions about his political future as he dropped the formal announcement of his re-election bid. While in Ireland, Mr. Biden kept quiet about his political plans. Instead, he relies on Ireland – the backdrop of all the most telling folktales – to help make the case for his name, highlighting life stories centered around resilience. His homeland, with its “Welcome Home Joe” sign, Biden-themed pints of Guinness and selfie-ready crowd, apparently happy to help.

When he introduced Mr. Biden in Ballina, Leo Varadkar, the prime minister of Ireland, called his country “a story of unimaginable courage in the face of defeat. And above all, it is a story of love. For country, family and community.

He paused, then added: “This is your story, Mr. President, as well as ours.”

Mr. Biden said as he stood in front of the cathedral where his great-grandfather, Edward Blewitt, made the bricks used to build the pillars that support the building’s nave: his great-grandson will return 200 years later as president of the United States,” Mr. Biden said on Friday.

Many of the president’s tours of the country have intertwined the threads of his life with the more important responsibilities he has taken on as president. On Friday, the last day of the trip, the itinerary included a stop at Knock Temple, where Mr. Biden was told by the priest there that a gentleman had performed the last rites for his eldest son, Beau Biden, who died of brain damage. cancer in 2015, has retired to Knock.

A surprise Mr. Biden asked to meet with the monk, Frank O’Grady, who was given last minute security approval to see the president. White House officials described the meeting as “spontaneous” and unplanned by administration officials. Later, Mr Biden visited a hospice center in Knock, where a plaque was hung in memory of his son.

“It was incredible to see him,” Mr Biden said in Ballina. “It looks like a sign.”

At other points on the trip, Mr. Biden took on the role of a statesman, although his advisers have made it clear that the tour is primarily about Mr. Biden exploring his roots. He began his journey on Wednesday in Belfast, where he urged Protestants and Catholics to resolve their differences and embrace the possibility of economic prosperity in a region that has been “making peace” since the Good Friday Agreement ended decades of sectarianism. violence a quarter of a century ago.

“Your history is our history, but more importantly, your future is America’s future,” Mr Biden said in a short speech at Ulster University. In Belfast, there were signs that not everyone was interested in seeing the American president, including flag-waving supporters of former President Donald J. Trump, whose recent legal troubles have taken center stage in the news media. Another woman held a sign that said “FAKE CATHOLIC PRESIDENT,” a reference to Mr. Biden’s support for abortion rights, even as Ireland recently liberalized its once-strict laws against abortion.

After a trip to the Republic of Ireland, Mr. Biden again mixed the personal and the political in a speech to the Irish Parliament on Thursday, where he was greeted like an old friend. During his speech, he made unusual references to his age, taking time to celebrate it as an asset rather than a weakness.

“I’m at the end of my career, not the beginning,” said the 80-year-old Mr. Biden, adding that, with age, there is “a little wisdom. I come to the job with more experience than any president in American history. It doesn’t make me any better.” or worse, but give some reason.

For a politician who avoids the topic of his age in order to become fodder for his critics – he will be 86 at the end of his second term, if he wins – Mr Biden has this week tried to make the argument that his experience can steer a country challenged by political divisions.

Mr. Biden’s initial case for voters in 2020 focused on winning what he called the battle for the “soul” of America, a country suffering from the pandemic and, after Mr. Biden won the election, troubled by the violence of Jan. 6 attacks on the United States Capitol.

During his trip, Mr. Biden used Ireland – with its democratic ideals, its diverse and complex political and sectarian history and its past as a nation where people have sought a better life abroad – to reiterate what he saw. at the core of the two. country: “Freedom. Equality. Dignity. Family. Courage,” said Mr. Biden during his speech in Parliament.

Christopher J. Dodd, a former Connecticut senator and fellow Irish Catholic who has accompanied the president on many of his visits, said that Mr. Biden has spent a lot of time in Ireland enjoying the boisterous political gatherings and the private ones he enjoys the most. .

Mr. Dodd’s trip to Ireland coincided with Mr. Biden’s state of the union speech in March, when he appeared comfortable sparring with Republicans and, afterward, spending extra time in the catch-up room with lawmakers.

“It’s an easy place, because there are so many shared values,” Mr Dodd said. “This is not just a personal familiarity, but a political familiarity.”

Those who have known Mr. Biden for decades say his Irish heritage — and especially his Irish Catholic upbringing in Scranton, Pa. — has been central to shaping his worldview, especially regarding the economy. The Irish Catholic Church of Mr. Biden’s generation tends to focus more on social justice for the poor, immigrants and the hungry; was an early precursor to Mr. Biden’s oft-repeated pledge to build the American economy “from the bottom up and the middle out.”

Kathleen Sebelius, who served as health and human services secretary under former President Barack Obama, said the influence was a mix of Mr. Biden’s Catholic faith and Irish heritage.

“It’s hard to draw a line about where feeling Irish and feeling split Catholic, because they are so intertwined,” Ms. Sebelius, who is also Irish and Catholic, said. “I think it’s also part of our cultural heritage, so we’ve been talking about it.”

Mark Shriver, the nephew of John F. Kennedy, the first Catholic president, who also accompanied Mr. Biden on the trip, said much of what Mr. Biden has said throughout his career — and what he emphasized in Ireland — reflected Catholic teachings. .

“He’s talking about human decency, he’s talking about respect,” Mr. Shriver said. “It’s part of who he is. It’s part of his id. It’s part of growing up in a big Irish family that takes his faith seriously.

Mr. Shriver, like many of Mr. Biden’s allies and advisers on this trip, insisted that the president was enthusiastic about traveling and giving speeches.

“He’s got a lot of energy, and he’s on fire,” Mr. Shriver said. “I think he will do better in this campaign than the last one. He will be able to interact with people. This will make him more motivated than sitting on a Zoom phone.

Mr. Shriver said he did not know if the president would eventually run, but hoped he would.