The Democratic Party leader, 80, who met with several of Northern Ireland’s key leaders, called for an end to the current impasse.
In Dublin, Biden will discuss, among other things, the shared efforts of Ireland and the United States to make “the global economy fairer,” according to the White House. Additionally, the President is expected to praise Ireland for its support of Ukraine.
However, while these issues are important, they are not the core of what is primarily a Biden family pilgrimage.
“It’s wonderful, it’s like coming home,” the President said on Wednesday.
On Friday, he will conclude his visit with a speech from Ballina, County Mayo (northwest), after another personal and familial visit.
Biden has had his maternal ancestry retraced in detail, the Finnegan and Blewitt families. With his childhood in a close-knit Irish family, Biden hopes to polish the image of a President from a modest and hardworking background. This might win him some votes among the 30 million Americans who claim Irish roots as he considers running for re-election in 2024.