See more of our coverage in your search results.
Former President Joe Biden, who recently announced he was too sick with cancer to do a a book tour for his new post-White House memoir, popped up in Ireland to Tuesday watch his son get a gold medal from the nation’s top university.
Hunter Biden, known for his laptop leak featuring images of him in the depths of his drug addiction with prostitutes and a pistol — and more recently profanity-laced social media posts and videos — was honored for his “Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse.”
The honor from Trinity College Dublin has also been bestowed on Burmese democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi, the late Sen. Teddy Kennedy, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi.
Dad Joe’s visit to the emerald isle was revealed by the Irish prime minister.
“Very pleased to welcome former US President @JoeBiden and his family to Dublin,” Taoiseach Michael Martin posted on social media, along with a photo of him with Biden, Jill Biden and their daughter Ashley.
“We reflected on his strong Irish roots and previous visits, appreciating his lifelong support for Ireland.”
The former president was also seen blowing his son a kiss and growing teary eyed as Hunter accepted the gold medal for his contributions to society.
The medal is the highest honorary award bestowed by the College Historical Society (known as the Hist) at Trinity College Dublin. It recognizes global leaders, thinkers, and cultural figures. The Hist, founded in 1770, is the oldest student debating society in the world.
The college explained it honored Hunter because of “Biden’s recent advocacy on the state of American politics and media, as well as for matters of addiction and recovery, make him a commendable figure” to receive the award.
Musicians Bob Geldof and Patti Smith are also past honorees.
Last summer, Biden unleashed six F-bombs in 30 seconds in a rant slamming the Trump administration’s deportation push.
“Am I not supposed to feel for someone? Am I going to be like all these Democrats say, ‘You have to talk about and realize that people are really upset about illegal immigration’? F–k you,” Hunter said.
“How do you think your hotel room gets cleaned? How do you think you have food on your f–king table? Who do you think washes your dishes? Who do you think does your f–king garden?
“Who do you think is here, by the f–king sheer f–king just grit and will, that they figured out a way to get here because they thought that they could give themselves and their family a better chance and [Trump’s] somehow convinced all of us that these people are the f–king criminals.”
The overseas visit comes after the elder Biden, 83, announced his prostate cancer diagnosis has slowed him down and he’ll only be able to make limited appearances to promote his upcoming memoir Promise Me America, which is out later this month.
Local news reports out of Ireland describe the former president appearing frail and moving slowly. He traveled with a big convoy of black SUVs and a large Secret Service detail.
The cancer has spread to his bones. As part of his treatment, Biden has received radiation and hormone therapy.
Biden, who announced his diagnosis last year after he left the White House, wrote on X that the disease “slows me down.”
“What that means is, unfortunately, I won’t be able to do as many conversations about my book as I’d hoped. However, I’m hopeful the words on the page speak for themselves.”
Still, he was able to make the 3,292-mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean to visit his family’s ancestral homeland.
The former president brags about his Irish roots and is famous for quoting Irish poets in his speeches. His ancestors came from County Mayo and County Louth.
A spokesman for Biden confirmed his visit abroad but did not address how that journey was possible when a book tour was not.
“President Biden is supporting his son Hunter who received the Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Culture and Public Discourse from Trinity College Dublin,” Biden spokesman TJ Ducklo told The Post in a statement.
“Folks interested in President Biden’s book should know it’s out a week from today on November 17 and is available for preorder now, including to the New York Post.”
Hunter Biden was convicted of gun and tax crimes in June 2024 but was pardoned by his father in the final months of his presidency.
He’s talked openly of his addiction to crack cocaine and his struggles to get sober, which the college cited as part of his honor.
“To be able to come back to Ireland and be with my whole family, it means the world. I’m incredibly honoured by the HIST that they would think of me, thank you,” Hunter Biden said during the gold medal ceremony.
He said his father is “great, he’s good, he’s here!”
Joe Biden sat in the front row along with former first lady Jill Biden, Hunter’s wife Melissa, their son Beau, and Ashley Biden.
His appearance sparked protesters outside the hall, delivering anti-war speeches with shouts of “blood, blood on your hands” and “shame on you.”
Two were arrested.
