Joe Biden has been forced to back-track after he took another “unbelievable” Irish swipe at the UK.
The White House clarified comments by the President about his trip to Ireland, which he said was to make sure “the Brits didn’t screw around”.
After fury from unionists who decried Biden as “anti-British”, a statement has been issued climbing down from the comments.
National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge told the Daily Mail: “As the President said in Belfast, he deeply appreciates Prime Minister Sunak’s leadership in reaching an agreement with the EU on the Windsor Framework and preserving the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.”
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Speaking at a Democrat fundraiser in Westchester County on Wednesday, Biden said: “I got to go back to Ireland for the Irish Accords, to make sure they weren’t … the Brits didn’t screw around and Northern Ireland didn’t walk away from their commitments.
DUP spokesman Sammy Wilson was incensed by the comments, and told the Evening Standard: “It’s unbelievable and frightening to think this man is the leader of the free world.
“If you believe that there should be a special relationship between the US and UK, then at least show us some respect.”
Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman also said: “You will know that, obviously, the Windsor Framework was a culmination of substantive work between the UK and the EU, and at its heart the UK priority was always protecting the Good Friday Agreement.
It marks the latest moment where Biden has played into his Irish roots and mocked the UK.
The President confused the New Zealand rugby team the All Blacks and British reserve troops who fought during the Troubles, who were dubbed Black and Tans, in April.
“This was given to me by one of these guys, right here,” Biden said at the Windsor Bar in Dundalk on Wednesday, referring to the tie he was wearing.
“He was a hell of a rugby player. He beat the hell out of the Black and Tans.”
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