President Trump will skip the annual St. Patrick’s Day lunch in the Capitol, the first president to do so in nearly two decades, and the White House is pointing the finger at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The luncheon is one of Washington, D.C.’s oldest bipartisan traditions, beginning in 1983 when House Speaker Tip O’Neill had President Ronald Reagan to the Capitol for the lunch. The lunch, planned each year around the Taoiseach of Ireland’s visit to the United States, is scheduled for Thursday.
Amid news of the president’s forthcoming absence, the White House blamed Pelosi for his snub.
“Since the Speaker has chosen to tear this Nation apart with her actions and her rhetoric, the President will not participate in moments where she so often chooses to drive discord and disunity, and will instead celebrate the rich history and strong ties between the United States and Ireland at the White House on March 12,” White House spokesman Judd Deere told Politico on Sunday.
He added, “The relationship between our two countries has never been stronger, and the President looks forward to welcoming the Prime Minister of Ireland for the annual Shamrock Bowl presentation.”
Trump will be the first president since George W. Bush, who skipped the lunch in 2003 as the U.S. was about to invade Iraq, to not attend the event. Presidents have missed the event four times since its inauguration but have sent their vice presidents in their place. Vice President Mike Pence is not scheduled to attend Thursday’s lunch, however.
“There has never been stronger support in the Congress and in the country for the U.S.-Ireland bilateral relationship. One would think that the White House could set petty, partisan politics aside for this historic occasion,” Pelosi’s spokesman Drew Hammill said.
