Harris and Varadkar toast US-Irish ties with glass of fresh orange juice and a smile

Bacon crackling, easy listening on the radio and the easy of laughter of a casual breakfast; maybe the Friday morning meeting at US vice-president Kamala Harris’s residence evolved into that when the house was theirs again.

But for the 10 minutes on Friday morning when Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the US vice-president stood in front of the lectern, the occasion served as an opportunity to confirm the solidarity of the bonds between the United States and Ireland, to chat a little about the unheralded element that comes with holding the second in command office and to raise a toast over a glass of orange juice.

It was, in other words, a moment for camera flashes.

“To update the words of one of your distinguished predecessors, the president of the United States has 330 million bosses,” Mr Varadkar told his host, who has endured heavy scrutiny over her term in office.

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“The vice-president has 330 million plus one. I think in some ways it is the hardest job and one that can have an extraordinary impact. I know a little as someone who went from Taoiseach to deputy before returning to the top job last year. And I’m not going to lie: I know which one I would prefer.”

As scripted lines go, it was neatly delivered and raised a laugh among the guests in the room, with Ireland’s ambassador to the United States, Geraldine Byrne Nason, in attendance at the host’s table.

Mr Varadkar went on to praise the vice-president for taking her recent remarks on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

“And I believe, vice-president, that you showed great courage in recent weeks when you spoke out in favour of a ceasefire in Gaza. It can’t have been easy, but it was the right thing to do-and your words echoed all over the world. Like you we call for the unconditional and immediate release of all the hostages, the very significant increase in humanitarian aid, food, medicine and electricity and an end to the fighting by both sides.”

[ Biden agrees with Varadkar on need for ceasefire in Gaza and two-state solution ]

It was another airing of the message that has become the central platform of the Taoiseach’s visit.

Ms Harris was relaxed in welcoming back the Taoiseach, who was accompanied by his partner, Matthew Barrett.

“I don’t think that we told you but Doug and I decided after our last visit that you would become our new couples friends,” she said before highlighting the historical depths of the relationship between the two countries.

“And I am proud to continue this breakfast tradition here at the vice-president’s residence and to host you again. And this year we host one hundred years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Ireland.

“And as we know the Irish people are part of the American history and American story from the very beginning -in 1776 three signatories of the declaration of Independence were Irish born.

“Then in the 19th century, Frederick Douglas found refuge in Ireland when we fled slavery. Historians among us will know that when he went to Ireland, it was the first time that he fully felt like a man because of the kinship and the dignity that he received in Ireland.

“And America has of course served as a place of hope for thousands of us and their descendants, including those who have held the highest offices in our land and at the moment that is of course our president, Joe Biden.

The practice of the morning breakfast at the Naval Observatory, which was established as the vice presidential residence in 1976, was initiated by Mr Biden during his term as vice-president and has since become another branch of the folksy protocol which has made the annual St Patrick’s jamboree such a high profile exercise in diplomacy.

Ms Harris said the Taoiseach has been “courageous” in the fight for women’s reproductive freedom.

“You have made it clear that you intend that Ireland will play a positive role on the world stage given the challenges we all face.

“Under your leadership Ireland has hosted one of the highest per capita populations of Ukrainian refugees, a testament to the generosity and kindness of the Irish people. I commend you for hosting in your own home a refugee who left days after the invasion began.

“Ireland has been a leader in providing food water and medicine to the people of Gaza and when it comes to human rights Ireland made history in 2015 when it became the first country in the world to legalise same sex marriage on referendum.

“On a personal note you have been an extraordinary model role to people around the world as one of the only LGBT leaders in history,” she said. “And you spoke movingly last year here about the work, to see you and Mr Barrett on the world stage is important for so many reasons as our long march for progress continues.”

Ms Harris invited her guests to raise a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to host another century of successful relations and then the front doors were smartly closed so her guests could enjoy their breakfast.

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