Ryan Tubridy has defended the US president against “anti-Biden” coverage making headlines in the UK as a result of his Irish visit.
The Late Late Show host said this morning that if listeners “want to laugh about what is right and left in politics,” they should read some of the British newspapers headlines today.
“They cannot bear Biden because he’s so Irish. The headlines are so anti-America and anti-Biden. It’s driving them mad.
"Every time the man stands in front of the Irish flag it drills another dead leg,” he added. “Remember the dead leg in school? It’s like giving the British empire – or what’s left of it – a dead leg. It drives them mad.”
One listener had texted into the programme to criticise some UK coverage of the visit, calling it “negative and condescending”.
The radio host also defended a verbal gaffe made by the US president during a speech in Dundalk yesterday, when he said his former Irish rugby player cousin Rob Kearney “beat the hell out of the Black and Tans”.
The president had been referring to an Irish win against the All Blacks at Soldier Field in Chicago in 2016.
In the transcript of his speech shared by the White House, President Biden’s comments have since been corrected with ‘Black and Tans’ crossed out and replaced with the name of the New Zealand team.
“Rob Kearney – a very nice fella, a rugby player obviously – he’s part of that Louth connection and he was there in the pub when President Biden made his last comments,” Ryan Tubridy told RTÉ Radio 1 listeners this morning.
"You’ve probably heard people having great fun talking about the fact that president Biden referred to the All Blacks as the ‘Black and Tans’ by accident. A slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue.
"And I was only thinking today because of course people are gleeful, going ‘there we go, we knew this was going to happen’.”
The Late Late Show host said he knew people would “feast” on the slip-up as soon as the president said it.
"Listen, I’m not his agent but I will say he had a long day. And at the end of the day, y’know, you might not be at the top of your game when you’re giving a speech and he did what he did.
"And I was thinking today, if I had a long day yesterday and if my whole day was recorded and you isolated any of the gaffes I made in a given day, I’ll tell you what, you would fill three newspapers.”
He added that the president is really just “itching” to get to County Mayo and said “the snarking going on” from some people has bothered him.
"Don’t take the joy from other people. Look what’s happening in Mayo, they are so excited. If I was there, I would be right there with them. Just getting stuck in, it’s a thing of joy.
"Yes, of course, there’s room for a bit of eyebrow-raising but out-and-out cynicism is just a little lazy, don’t you think?”
