The last time Leo Varadkar visited the United States in a political capacity was in March, during his tenure as taoiseach, a position he has since stepped down from. His journey included meetings with vice-president Kamala Harris over breakfast at her Naval Observatory residence, and president Joe Biden for the customary St Patrick’s Day sit-down in the Oval Office, only days prior to returning to Ireland to announce his resignation.
This week found him returning to the United States, this time as a guest of the Democrats’ ex-House of Representatives speaker, Nancy Pelosi, at the Democratic National Convention. Pelosi extended an invite to Varadkar during her trip to Ireland back in April, an offer he, as a self-proclaimed “political anorak”, was not going to decline.
He spent his time as part of the Pelosi entourage, balancing both the role of guest and participant in a relentless series of meetings and commitments.
Surrounded by advisers and handlers during his taoiseach stint, Varadkar said his recent experience gave him more insight into their roles. His recent trip allowed him to witness how plans can frequently shift, how adaptive they need to be, and how every adviser wants their own contribution included, sometimes not feasibly so. He found the experience an enlightening one watching it all unfold.
Following his resignation as Taoiseach, one of the phone calls Leo Varadkar received was a private discussion with President Biden. Little did Biden expect that he would drop his Democratic candidacy just short of three months later, beginning a series of events leading to the exhilarating Democratic convention that has just passed.
Varadkar mentions he’s yet to make a return call to Biden. His reasoning – it’s simpler for Biden to contact him. “His decision must have been profoundly personal,” Varadkar adds. He also recognises that this move has reinvigorated the campaign bringing newfound energy and piquing the interest of younger voters.
Decades have passed with Varadkar staying awake into the wee hours to keep up with the convention night broadcasts. This week in Chicago he attended as a guest at an Irish-American Democrats lunch with Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ireland’s U.S. ambassador. He spent a large part of the day with Nancy Pelosi’s crowd. Being present amid the grand spectacle revealed more than just observing from afar.
Varadkar was immensely impressed by the encapsulating panorama when he was present at the event. He describes it as resembling a rock concert or sports event more than a political conference. He was taken aback by America’s diversity – a mix of races, religions, ages.
Watching Harris’s speech on Thursday night found him reminiscent of a grey March morning when she hosted an Irish delegation. This was his second sit-down interaction with the Vice-President who dedicated two hours to a substantive discussion. He’s always thought of Kamala Harris as strong, mentioning the challenges of being the Vice-President as it restricts them to a secondary role. He remains hopeful of her shining in her new role.
As for the possibility of a November election in Ireland, the ex-Taoiseach does not offer any unique insights.
Ultimately, the choice lies with the party’s leadership. Despite being a highly engaged member of parliament, I don’t possess any insider information.
In my opinion, the ideal time for elections is when victory appears likely, however, there’s no certainty of this being the case… this is a call the party leaders must make.
Thankfully, this decision no longer lies with me. It’s simpler in theory than in practice. My intention during my tenure as Taoiseach was to avoid a winter election – I would have opted for an election once Brexit was formalised. Unfortunately, due to British politics’ developments, the formalisation didn’t occur until December, thus resulting in a winter election in February 2020, which I would have rather evaded. However, such is life.