President Joe Biden’s critics on Twitter blasted him for a couple of awkward ethnic-related comments he made during a recent U.S. veterans town hall address in Delaware.
During the Friday speech, Biden claimed that despite him being Irish, "he’s not stupid" and insisted he’s got "a little Italian" in him because his wife’s family is Italian. Though many internet users panned the comments as being in poor taste.
He joked, "I may be Irish, but I'm not stupid. I married Dominic Giacoppa’s daughter so, you know, I got a little Italian in me now."
A clip of the statement went viral on Twitter, and several prominent users weighed in, suggesting the president was repeating anti-Irish sentiment, and on top of that, getting his wife’s genealogy wrong.
Daily Signal senior reporter Mary Margaret Olohan quipped that Biden’s dig at Irish folks was a "hate crime."
Conservative digital strategist Greg Price, who shared the clip on Twitter, informed users on what was behind Biden’s latest embellishment. He tweeted, "Jill Biden's father's name is Donald Jacobs," adding, "Giacoppa is apparently the Italianized version of Jill Biden's maiden name lol."
According to a CNN report, First Lady Jill Biden – whose maiden name is Jacobs – does have Italian roots, though her great-grandfather was the last of her family to have the name Giacoppa prior to coming to the United States.
Steve Guest, special advisor for communications for Sen. Ted Cruz, replied, "FACT CHECK: Giacoppa was actually Jill Biden's grandfather, not her father."
Conservative journalist Ian Miles Cheong asked, "How do the Irish feel about this comment Biden just made?"
Businessman and conservative user Eoghan McCabe put the dig back on Biden, tweeting, "Irishman here. I feel neutral because I think he actually is stupid."
The Washington Examiner’s Jerry Dunleavy provided his in-depth analysis of Biden’s comment, tweeting, "Biden loves this Bidenism (he’s said it in the past before) — just casual old school anti-Irish stereotyping, but he thinks it’s a fun part of his gift of the gab because he considers himself Irish (his great-great-great grandfather moved to America from Ireland in the 1800s.)"
Author Helena Morissey tweeted, "My Irish-born husband says: Biden is not Irish and he needs help."
