Ireland’s Taoiseach to have private meeting with US President at White House today

Taoiseach Simon Harris will have a private meeting with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of The White House in Washington, DC today, Wednesday, October 9.

The meeting, which is closed to the press, is scheduled for 3:15 pm local time and is reportedly set to run for 30 minutes.

The Department of the Taoiseach announced on September 24 that Harris had accepted an invitation to meet US President Joe Biden at The White House in October.

At the time, the Department said that following their meeting, the Taoiseach and the President "will both speak at an event to mark the centenary of bilateral diplomatic relations between Ireland and the US, which was the first country to recognize Ireland’s place among the nations of the world.

"The event will also be an opportunity to reflect on President Biden’s career-long friendship with Ireland."

However, Biden has reportedly nixed the event - which had been described as a reception for invited guests at the Rose Garden of the White House - as the Category 5 Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall in Florida.

The Journal reports: "It is understood Biden called the Taoiseach directly on Monday evening and asked for the meeting to proceed but the event to be postponed due to the threat to life posed by the hurricane in Florida. 

"It is understood the event may take place on another date prior to Christmas."

Wednesday will be Harris's first time as Taoiseach at the White House, and his first private meeting with Biden. He also becomes the second Taoiseach to meet the US President in the Oval Office this year, following then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's St. Patrick's Day engagements in March.

The Department of the Taoiseach told IrishCentral on Wednesday that while the Taoiseach is in Washington DC to mark 100 years of Irish-US Diplomatic relations, global issues, including the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, will also be discussed.

Harris will also have other political engagements in Washington DC, including with Congressman and co-chair of the Friends of Ireland caucus Richie Neal, and US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for economic affairs Joseph Kennedy III.

Harris will also meet with USAID Administrator Samatha Power and will speak in Georgetown University on Irish-US relations.

Speaking ahead of his meeting at the White House, the Taoiseach said: “I am looking forward to marking the centenary of relationship between the US and Ireland with President Biden at the White House. It is a unique and special relationship that is renewed and strengthened with each generation.

"In reflecting on what we have achieved together, I will be using my visit to thank the US for its abiding commitment to peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland, and to celebrate the economic ties that see investment flow between us, contributing to jobs, opportunities and prosperity in each other’s country.

"I am also looking forward to my meeting with President Biden. It comes at a very troubling time in the world.

"I expect that, in our discussions, the President and I will reflect on where the US and Ireland can do more to work together, based on a shared values, to tackle the many challenges we face, including the desperate situation in Gaza and the wider Middle East.

"We urgently need to see a return to a diplomatic and political path aimed at facilitating durable solutions that can bring peace and security to all the people of the region."

Last week, Harris indicated that he won't "shy away from" potentially difficult topics - especially concerning the Middle East - with the outgoing US President.

“I’m proud of the diplomatic relations between Ireland and the United States of America, and I believe the overwhelming majority of people in this country are too," Harris told reporters in Dublin on October 2, according to the PA.

“I’m also proud of the tradition of taoisigh and presidents being able to engage on issues too.

“But you also speak the truth to your friends. And Ireland’s never afraid to speak our view. And I’m not afraid of that either. We speak the truth. We speak up for our foreign policy.

“We have an independent foreign policy, and our independent foreign policy is very clear in relation to what should happen in the Middle East.”

Not long after becoming Taoiseach earlier this year, Harris announced in May that Ireland, in concert with Norway and Spain, would be formally recognizing Palestine as a state. Including Ireland, Norway, and Spain, 145 out of the 193 UN member states have now recognized a Palestinian state. The US is not among them.

Harris added last week that he has “absolutely no doubt” that the Biden administration, "led through the efforts of Secretary of State Antony Blinken," has been trying to bring about a ceasefire.