President Joe Biden recently demanded that an audience clap for him during remarks commemorating St. Patrick’s Day.
In a move reminiscent of when then-presidential candidate Jeb Bush told a group of people to “please clap” for him, the president urged the audience at the White House to applaud him.
Biden’s remarks came as he spoke alongside Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar while celebrating the significance of the Irish people in the U.S.
Biden, who grew up in an Irish-Catholic family, spoke of his heritage during the speech, pointing out that he and former President Barack Obama’s ancestors left Ireland within weeks of one another.
“We celebrate the bonds of our friendship today connecting millions of Irish Americans and American people,” the president said. “We celebrate the friendship between the two nations — one that has shaped our past, strengthened our present and inspires our future.”
Biden continued by pointing out the 100-year diplomatic relations between Ireland and the U.S. along with similar values that both countries share. The president then asked those present to clap for him.
“Ireland now is one of the top ten investors in the United States economy,” he said. “And our countries stand proudly for liberty and against tyranny. We stand together and oppose Russia’s brutal war of aggression in Ukraine. You can clap for that, please.”
BIDEN: "You can clap for that, please." pic.twitter.com/lEAfK93m3j
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 17, 2024
Instead of speaking out against the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israel, Biden praised Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for attacking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting with Varadkar.
“Senator Schumer contacted my staff, my senior staff, he was going to make that speech, and, uh, he, uh, I’m not going to exag — er — elaborate on the speech, he made a good speech and I think he, uh, expressed the serious concern shared not only by him, but by many Americans,” the president said when asked of Schumer’s comments.
Biden praises Sen. Chuck Schumer's anti-Netanyahu speech: "He made a good speech."
His handlers then promptly and aggressively herd the press out of the room. pic.twitter.com/qMPzj9kVYw
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 15, 2024
Biden’s “please clap” incident comes after first lady Jill Biden demanded an audience applaud her while speaking at the Ronald Reagan Institute Summit on Education in Washington, D.C., in May 2023.
After noting her efforts in visiting states across America to find unity, the first lady said, “And, um, I thought you might clap for that.”
