Post from Truth Social

Thank you to Speaker Johnson and thank you to all of the members of Congress who are here, quite a few, most of which are Irish, most of whom are Irish. And we welcome Tishook, and I love the name because, uh, Mihal. But it's Michael. I said, "How many people call you Michael?" It's exactly Michael. I said, he said, "About 50 percent." I said, "Do you get upset when they do?" He said, "No. You, Mihal," because that's the way it is. Martin, who has really been terrific, I've been with him quite a bit. I've spoken to him quite a bit, and we're going to have no problems. And his wife, Mary, we welcome you to America, fantastic people. And it's really a wonderful annual tradition, being here. We're also grateful to be joined by Irish Ambassador to the United States, Geraldine Byrne-Nason - where's Geraldine? Hi, Geraldine, thank you very much - and the entire Irish delegation. And I know we're a little bit - everybody's a little bit late today, but that's okay, because we're celebrating the Irish, and I think it's okay, we're a little bit late. I also want to congratulate a friend of mine, Ed Walsh. He's a great golfer. He's a championship golfer, actually. Not quite as good as Rory, but that's okay. He's right - he's right up here, and he's won many, many club championships, many club championships, and he's one of the best golfers you'll ever see. And congratulations, boy, you're going to have fun over there. He's going to be the ambassador to Ireland, so congratulations, Ed. Well, maybe it is thanks to me, but you're going to have a good time, and you're going to represent us well. He can do most of his business in the golf course, too. That's a nice - he's got the best job of anybody. And I really appreciate so many of my friends being here. So many great friends here. This afternoon, we're gathered to celebrate the deep and abiding ties of history, family, and friendship that bind together Ireland and the United States of America. The Irish American patriots have been part of our national history and our country's earliest days - amazing history they have with our country. Irish Americans fought heroically in our war for independence, served with honor in the crucible of the Civil War, and won fame and valor among Theodore Roosevelt's famous Rough Riders. They were rough riders. By some estimates, more than 2,000 Irish American warriors have earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. This is an amazing statistic, because who would ever think that's even possible? It's more than 50 percent of the medals of honor were won by the Irish - I'm going to have to check that. That sounds like - that's like - that's an awfully good statistic. We're going to have to check what's going on over there, huh? But that's an amazing statistic, actually, 50 percent. This includes the great Audie Murphy, the most decorated, enlisted soldier in American history whose service in the Second World War earned a Medal of Honor, two silver stars, a broad star, three purple hearts, and the Legion of Merit - quite a person - became a movie actor. The movie actor stuff wasn't quite as good as the soldier that he did, but he was great. He became a very famous person, actually. America has truly been blessed by the courage and unstoppable spirit of the Irish. Over the generations, Americans of Irish ancestry have helped build our railroads and raise our cities and man our factories, enrich our culture with art and music and literature - we see that all over - and protect our communities by joining the proud tradition of Irish-American police officers and firefighters. A few have done more for the Stars and Stripes than the sons and daughters of the Emerald Isle. And I can tell you, I know your father was a great boxer, and they have a lot of good fighters. There are so many Irish fighters they like to fight, and they're damn good at it, too. But your father - his father was a great fighter, actually. So that means genetically I'm not going to mess around with you. You understand. I'm a believer in that. But as you know, on Monday, millions of Americans will celebrate St. Patrick's Day. We love St. Patrick's Day. Maybe especially in New York. Hundreds of thousands of citizens decked in Irish Queen will parade through the streets of Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and of course New York, a site that I've witnessed many, many times. In Manhattan, the people will stream up Fifth Avenue and march past the magnificent - I see it so much, and I love it - especially when you're looking down upon St. Patrick's Cathedral, because it's to me one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. And it's a monument not only to God, but also to the Patriot Saint of Ireland, Patriot Saint. It's really an extraordinary testament to the connection between our two countries that after more than 1,500 years, the shining legacy of St. Patrick still rouses city blocks half the world away. Think of that. And fills our people with incredible love and pride. We have a lot of pride in that cathedral. That cathedral is something to me so beautiful. I think maybe my favorite - they have larger, you know? It's very large, but they have larger. But I think it's truly one of the most beautiful. The Irish spirit is truly alive and thriving in America, and as we see today, the friendship between our nations is strong, and it's really unbreakable, and that includes all of you, you know? It's all of you. We love you all. So Tishook, I want to just thank you once again for being here. It's an honor, and hopefully we're going to be doing this at least three more times, okay? We're going to be doing this three more times at least, and when I say at least, they go absolutely crazy. So thank you very much for being here, Mary. Thank you very much for being here. It's a great honor. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, everybody. Thank you.

Transcribed automatically. Expect errors in names and numbers.