Biden was greeted by cheering crowds of people who wanted to catch a glimpse of the president - and 'the Beast' - as he made his way to a luxury hotel in a city that has experienced tremendous changes since negotiators reached the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement 25 years ago.
Also, it served as a defiant gesture to House Republicans, who are investigating Hunter's business practices and the Biden family's role in foreign deals. The decision to bring his sister and son indicated how Biden intends to make the trip a family affair.
Biden is only expected to 'greet' the
leaders of the leading Northern Ireland political parties, not hold a joint meeting. The hope that the meeting might spark a breakthrough agreement at the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont has dwindled.
Biden landed in Belfast late Tuesday evening to kick off a long-sought trip to his ancestral homeland surrounded by heightened security because of the 'severe' threat of terrorism and amid a new political crisis.
The Beast is just part of Biden's motorcade, including a heavily armed Counter Assault Team, communications vehicles, an ambulance, SUVs to ferry staff, and a press contingent that follows him wherever he goes.
His signature event in Northern Ireland is a speech at Ulster University on 'underscoring the readiness of the United States to support Northern Ireland's vast economic potential to the benefit of all communities,' according to Biden's official schedule.
By early afternoon, the president is set to fly to the Republic of Ireland, where he has a packed series of events on tap, although the
trip forced the White House to respond to questions about whether the president was going on a taxpayer-funded family reunion.
envoy to Northern Ireland, whose grand-uncle
limo from jfk to levittown made his Irish roots a part of his political identity. He arrived to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement accompanied by Joseph Patrick Kennedy III, the U.S.
