A cancer-stricken former president who says he's too sick to promote his own book in America just flew across the Atlantic to watch his scandal-plagued son collect a gold medal for "contributions to public discourse."
The trip captures the entire Biden presidency in a single frame: America last, family first, and the press playing along. Joe Biden, 83, whose prostate cancer has spread to his bones and who is receiving radiation and hormone therapy, announced that the disease "slows me down" and he could only make limited appearances for his upcoming memoir. But a transatlantic flight, a motorcade of black SUVs, and a full Secret Service detail for a personal family photo-op? No problem at all.
Hunter Biden — the man whose laptop documented his crack-fueled exploits with prostitutes and a handgun, and who recently delivered a public rant featuring six F-bombs in 30 seconds — received Trinity College Dublin's highest honor from its College Historical Society. The award: the gold medal for "Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse."
Previous recipients include Burmese democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi. Now they're adding the guy who told critics of illegal immigration: "F–k you."
Trinity College explained that "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." If dropping F-bombs on social media about how illegal immigrants wash dishes and clean hotel rooms counts as "outstanding contribution to public discourse," the bar isn't low — it's underground.
Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin posted a photo with the Biden family, saying they "reflected on his strong Irish roots and previous visits, appreciating his lifelong support for Ireland." A former American president, hosted by a foreign leader, celebrating not American interests but his "lifelong support for Ireland." The New York Post framed the trip as a brazen contradiction; CNN didn't cover the Ireland trip at all, burying it entirely in favor of a softer story about Trump's 2021 inaugural letter.
That letter, disclosed in Biden's book "Promise Me, America," showed Trump writing: "Not only are you joined by the past, but you carry the hopes and dreams of the entire nation on your shoulders." Biden wrote it was "as if there were two Donald Trumps." The White House's Steven Cheung had a sharper take: "Joe Biden should have heeded the president's wise words, but instead he tried to destroy this country and weaponize the justice system against his political enemies."
Local Irish media described Biden appearing frail and moving slowly. He blew his son a kiss and grew teary-eyed as Hunter accepted the medal. A father's pride, sure. But a former president with bone cancer skipping his obligations to American readers while finding the stamina for an Irish vanity trip — that's the Biden brand.
Trinity College honored Hunter Biden for his "advocacy on the state of American politics." Maybe they were being honest. He does represent the state of American politics: unearned credentials, the family name as currency, and the permanent class handing awards to its own. The question isn't why Trinity gave Hunter a medal. It's why anyone still pretends these institutions are serious.
