Joe Biden postponed his centenary ceremony with the Taoiseach due to Storm Milton

Wednesday’s White House ceremony in the Rose Garden to mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Ireland and the United States was postponed at the request of US President Joe Biden as it was timed to coincide with the arrival of the latest storm cycle to threaten southern states. postponed the country

By Monday evening, Hurricane Milton’s tracking was dominating headlines in the United States as a monster Category Five storm with winds packing 180 mph — a once-in-a-lifetime weather event. falls, was described. For context, Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed entire parts of New Orleans in 2005, was in the third category.

The storm is said to be strengthening as it nears land, and officials have begun facilitating mass evacuations from Tampa Bay, while Florida’s heavily populated central west coast is expected to bear the brunt of the storm’s strength.

The threat of widespread destruction will further strain the capabilities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has been dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helen, which killed at least 213 people and destroyed towns in northwestern counties in late September. Carolina.

Although Washington, D.C. is safely out of the storm’s path, it would be inappropriate to host what was intended as a diplomatic celebration during this new storm cycle.

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“President Biden and Taoiseach Simon Harris spoke last night,” a spokesperson confirmed Monday evening.

The president requested that they go ahead as scheduled in the Oval Office on Wednesday, but that the Rose Garden reception be postponed to a later date due to the severe threat posed by Hurricane Milton in the United States. The Taoiseach will continue all other parts of his program in Washington.

Mr Harris will attend the Dáil on Tuesday morning before departing for Washington on an evening flight. Wednesday’s ceremony planned for the Rose Garden was to be a festive culmination of the Taoiseach’s two-day visit. About 300 guests were informed of the postponement on Monday evening. The event was also designed as an opportunity to reflect on President Biden’s long-standing interest in Ireland in the final months of his presidency.

Still, the diplomatic function has figured in a White House itinerary that is currently weighed down by the worsening Middle East crisis and the Republican campaign’s relentless criticism of the president.

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The U.S. government’s response to aid and assistance to victims of Hurricane Helen has become a hotly debated election issue, with Donald Trump’s campaign repeatedly claiming that there is no federal response, despite claims to the contrary from Republican representatives in the affected areas. See North Carolina

Trump has also repeated the lie that the Biden administration used hurricane response funds for immigrants, prompting White House spokesman Andrew Bates to warn in a memo that “the most important thing is that any leader, regardless of political opinion, Stop releasing this poison.” It’s not about politics – it’s about helping people.

Mr Harris is due to return home to Ireland on Thursday. It is not yet clear when the now postponed event might take place.