Northern Irish unionists said U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s joke about excluding them from St. Patrick’s Day festivities at the White House was “disgraceful and careless.”
On Tuesday in Washington, Biden said as he greeted Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny “if you’re wearing orange, you’re not welcome in here.” Orange is traditionally associated with Northern Irish unionists who want the region to remain part of the U.K. Immediately after making the comment, Biden said it was a joke.
“VP Biden should apologize for his remarks and take corrective action to prove in a practical way that people who are from a protestant background are welcome in the White House,” said William McCrea, a lawmaker representing the Democratic Unionist Party. “Undoubtedly if he had made such a remark about any other faith group there would be calls for his resignation.”
Orange Order parades in Northern Ireland can be flashpoints for violence across the region. The Orange Order was founded in 1795 to celebrate the Battle of the Boyne, when King William of Orange defeated the Catholic King James to maintain Protestant supremacy in Ireland.
Biden said in January there was “a chance” he’d make a third run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, and said he saw that race as “wide open” despite former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s polling advantage.
© Copyright 2025 Bloomberg News. All rights reserved.