A SPOKESPERSON FOR the Taoiseach has said he is not endorsing either US presidential election candidate after he posted a picture of a Kamala Harris hat on his Instagram account today.
This morning, Taoiseach Simon Harris uploaded a photo of a ‘Harris 2024′ cap sitting on his desk to his Instagram grid with the caption: “Good morning from the office! Look what arrived in my post this morning! If the cap fits…”
Taoisigh in Ireland have had a longstanding tradition of remaining impartial on elections in other countries, prompting some raised eyebrows following Harris’s social media post.
However, when asked by The Journal if the post is an endorsement of Kamala Harris’s presidential election bid, a spokesperson for the Taoiseach said: “No. The election of the next President of the United States is a matter for voters in the United States.”
Speaking at an event in Georgetown University in the US earlier this month while on a visit to Washington DC, Simon Harris said Ireland will work with whoever wins the US election.
Harris responded to a question about the election by saying he would reach for his “diplomatic answer”.
“We worked with the last Trump administration. We worked very well with the Biden administration. And we will obviously work and respond to whatever the outcome of the election is,” the Taoiseach said.
Harris’s predecessor, Leo Varadkar was also cautious in his comments when it came to electoral matters in other states while he was Taoiseach.
However, in an interview with The Journal earlier this year, after Varadkar stepped down as Taoiseach, he shared his view that a Trump re-election wouldn’t be good for the world.
Varadkar said he could be “much more frank” seeing as he had left office.
“I was never concerned about the consequences for me. But when you hold office, you have to be concerned about the consequences for the country,” he said at the time.
“I don’t think it’s a good thing for America or the world for President Trump to be re-elected.”
Varadkar said his “biggest worry” was that Trump wouldn’t protect Ukraine and would potentially do a deal with Russia.
The Dublin West TD said: “I think if Ukraine didn’t have American support, Europe would struggle to step up to fill that gap. And if Ukraine falls under control of the Kremlin, we’re looking at more refugees, more inflation. and of course, 30 million people no longer being able to choose their government.”
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