President Biden told reporters on March 28, the day Northern Ireland's terror threat was increased to "severe," that his Irish visit next month is still set to go ahead.
A reporter asked Biden at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Tuesday: “Northern Ireland has increased its terrorism threat level to 'severe.' How concerned are you about that? And will it impact your plans to visit?”
Biden replied: “No, they can’t keep me out.”
'They can't keep me out.'
US President Joe Biden says the raising of Northern Ireland's terror threat level won't affect his plans to visit the region.
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Meanwhile, while asked about Northern Ireland's increased terror threat on Tuesday, deputy White House press secretary Olivia Dalton told reporters on Air Force One that it "does not have any potential implications for future travel."
Dalton added: “I think as some of you may be aware, according to the UK authorities this announcement returned Northern Ireland to the threat levels they have been at for the last 12 years, reversing a downgrade that occurred just last year.”
Northern Ireland's terror threat level was raised from "substantial" (an attack is likely) to "severe" (an attack is highly likely) by the UK's security service MI5 on Tuesday, March 28.
Northern Ireland's Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris said on Tuesday: “In recent months, we have seen an increase in levels of activity relating to Northern Ireland Related Terrorism, which has targeted police officers serving their communities and also put at risk the lives of children and other members of the public."
He added: "The public should remain vigilant, but not be alarmed."
Biden’s remarks on Tuesday echo comments he made when then-Taoiseach Micheal Martin extended an invitation for an Irish visit.
“When I invited President Biden to Ireland, he just said, 'try and keep me out,'" Martin said just days before Biden’s inauguration in January 2021.
While final details of President Biden's visit to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have yet to be publicly confirmed by the White House, Biden told UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this month that it is his "intention to go to Northern Ireland and the Republic."
On March 27, the New York Times reported that Biden is expected arrive in Northern Ireland on Tuesday, April 11.
The President is expected to spend a day and a half in Belfast before traveling to the Republic of Ireland "for three days to explore his ancestral roots," the New York Times said on Monday, citing British and American diplomats.
Biden, who regularly touts his Irish roots, last visited Ireland in 2017 in a personal capacity, and made an official visit as US Vice President in 2016.
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