Biden lands in a very wet Dublin - but Hunter's on hand to keep him dry

President Joe Biden made the short hop from Belfast to Dublin on Wednesday afternoon, arriving in the Irish capital during a downpour.

Luckily his son Hunter was on hand with an umbrella to keep the president dry as he was greeted by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

Hunter and Biden's sister Valerie were in the audience earlier for a speech in Belfast marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement that ended decades of political and sectarian violence.

But their presence on the trip has raised awkward questions about who is paying their fares and whether it makes the four-day swing through Ireland more of a taxpayer-funded family reunion than a working visit.

Officials were forced to say the trip was work rather pleasure during a briefing on Wednesday morning. 

Hunter Biden was on hand with an umbrella when the president landed in Dublin to meet Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, left

'I would, not surprisingly, dispute that characterization,' National Security Council senior director for Europe Amanda Sloat told reporters, before listing engagements with the British prime minister and official events to mark the peace deal.

Biden's trip comes at an awkward time with the province's power-sharing government suspended amid political wrangling.  

And the brevity of his stay in Northern Ireland — about 17 hours — has irritated local leaders, who wonder whether it is part of a strategy to minimize the chances of a gaffe. 

Biden makes much of his Irish roots and has occasionally made Britain the butt of jokes, much to the anger of the pro-London unionist community in the province. 

Sloat was also asked whether the famously Irish-American president was anti-British, as pro-London unionist politicians have claimed. 

'I think the track record of the president shows that he's not anti British,' she said.

However, Biden has a history of making anti-English jokes and has frequently described his mother's hostility to the U.K. and its crown.

Sloat reeled off examples of cooperation between the Biden administration and London. 

Biden greets U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Claire D. Cronin and her spouse Ray Cronin in the rain

Families of U.S. embassy staff hold placards as U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at Dublin International Airport, in Dublin

From left, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Jane Hartley, Valerie Biden Owens, Hunter Biden and U.S. Special Envoy for Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy III listen to the speech

READ MORE: How 27,000 bricks from Biden's great-great-great grandfather helped build the cathedral where he'll speak in Ireland

'The UK remains one of our strongest and closest allies,' she said.

'And it's difficult, frankly, to think of an issue in the world that we are not closely cooperating with the British on, and it's why the president wanted to have the opportunity to engage with Prime Minister Sunak this morning to start his his day here in Belfast.'

Later Biden played up some of his English heritage during a speech at Ulster University to open its new campus in Belfast. He said the campus was symbolic of a city booming after years of conflict.

'You couldn't have a glass building like this here in this neighborhood,' he said at the new Ulster University building. 

'I don't think it would have stood up very well. But things are changing.'

He said it was vital that new generations did not forget the hard work of making peace. 

'It's an incredible testament to the power and the possibilities of peace... 25 years ago this week, the landmark Belfast Good Friday Agreement was signed. and it wasn't easy.

And he carefully stepped back from any suggestion that he was pushing one side or the other to resolve the impasse.

Crowds gathered outside the Belfast city center hotel where Biden was staying on Wednesday

Police put up a ring of steel around the city center hotel where Biden stayed on Tuesday night

Biden is spotted in the Beast, his armored car, as he arrived in Belfast on Tuesday night

'So I hope the assembly and the executive will soon be restored,' he said. 'That's a judgment for you to make, not me. But I hope it happens.' 

Unionists were ready to seize on any gaffe or pressure to undermine the visit. 

As Ian Paisley Jr., of the hardline Democratic Unionist Party, put it to TalkTV, 'the poor fella is unfortunately quite gaffe prone,' adding: 'It would be like a Frenchman coming over to you and telling you what to do in England.' 

Biden arrived in Belfast amid a major policing operation in the province, the biggest in the past 10 years. 

Some 300 officers have been drafted in from elsewhere in the U.K. to bolster numbers, with the whole cost coming to £7 million (about $8.7 million). 

Writing on Twitter earlier, Biden said: '25 years ago, Northern Ireland’s leaders chose peace. 

'The Belfast/Good Friday agreement ended decades of violence and brought stability. I look forward to marking the anniversary in Belfast, underscoring the US commitment to preserving peace and encouraging prosperity.'

Biden's maternal line emigrated from Ireland during the Great Famine. The Blewitts left Co. Mayo and settled in Scranton, PA, while the Finnegans left Co. Louth and came to New York