The White House corrected President Joe Biden’s remarks on the official transcript after he mixed up the British paramilitary unit “Black and Tans” for the name of a New Zealand rugby team.
Biden made the gaffe while speaking in Dundalk, Ireland, where he was thanking his distant cousin Rob Kearny for giving him a tie.
“You see this tie I have with this shamrock on it? This was given to me by one of these guys right here. He was a hell of a rugby player, and he beat the hell out of the Black and Tans,” Biden said. (RELATED: Biden Says He Aims To ‘Keep The Peace’ On Trip To Ireland)
The president intended to say “All Blacks,” the New Zealand rugby team Kearny defeated while playing on an Irish team. The “Black and Tans” were a British paramilitary unit that fought against the Irish Republican Army in 1920.
On the official transcript, the White House crossed out “Black and Tans” and put “All Blacks” instead.
The White House was then pressed on Biden’s mistake.
“I think for everyone in Ireland who is a rugby fan, it was incredibly clear that the President was talking about the All Blacks and Ireland’s defeat of the New Zealand team in 2016,” National Security Council Senior Director for Europe Amanda Sloat said.
Ireland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin (R) delivers a speech as he welcomes US President Joe Biden (C) the Windsor Bar in Dundalk, on April 12, 2023, as part of a four days trip to Northern Ireland and Ireland for the 25th anniversary commemorations of the “Good Friday Agreement”. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
“You know, I think it was — it was clear what the President was referring to. It was certainly clear to his cousin sitting next to him who had played in that match,” she added.
Biden has been championing his Irish ancestry during his trip, saying, “I don’t know why the hell my ancestors left here. It’s beautiful.”
He also joked, “I’m not going home.”