Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has thanked Joe Biden for being a “really strong champion of Ireland” after the US president announced he was withdrawing his bid for re-election.
His vice president, Kamala Harris, has become the frontrunner to become the Democratic nominee, facing off with former president Donald Trump who was confirmed as the Republican candidate.
Asked about Mr Biden’s withdrawal from the race, Ms McDonald said Ireland owed him its thanks for his help during Brexit negotiations to ensure there would not be a hard border on the island of Ireland.
“In terms of President Biden stepping aside, I think it must be acknowledged that he has been a really strong champion of Ireland,” she said.
“He is, of course, a proud Irishman. I think particularly in the course of Brexit, he was instrumental in ensuring that there was no hardening of the border on the island of Ireland. We owe him a thank you for that.
“The appointment of Joe Kennedy as an economic envoy to the North has been extremely constructive and very, very helpful.
“I’ve no doubt and I hope that the United States will continue to be an ally for peace in Ireland.”
She also said that the next US president should change its relationship with Israel to end the increasing deaths and injuries in Gaza and to help broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
“I have to say, I hope also that whoever is the next president of the United States confronts Israel, confronts the slaughter that is ongoing there, stops arming Israel’s campaign of slaughter against Palestinians, and actually repositions the United States to a place where it was a long time ago.
“That was a very powerful player in brokering dialogue and peace in the Middle East.
“Today’s an announcement between the various Palestinian factions that they seem to have reached some kind of accord – I just saw it, I’m not across the detail of it – but can I say that’s a welcome step.
“The nightmare that’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank is unthinkable to us and needs to stop, and the United States is a key player in all of that.”
