President Joe Biden & Conan Reflect On Their Irish-American Heritage | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

my name is Joe Biden I'm lucky to be. Conan O'Brien's friend and uh I'm lucky. I guess it's because I'm Irish yes. you've got the Luck of the. Irish you know I have to ask you being. Irish because when I do this podcast. we're always looking I'm always looking. for points of. commonality and being Irish is such a. part of who I am there are phrases that. have lived on in my family my mother.

always called me a bold stump Conan. you're a bold stump but I think there's. so much of that that's just in who I am. and it's got to be a huge part of who. you are being Irish well it really is. but I think it's because think about it. the Irish even once they got here and. made it they were still viewed as lesser. because if they were catholic yes yeah. my mother used to say remember Joey the. best drop of blood in you is Irish. remember you're a Biden I'm thinking Who. the hell's a you know yeah and that's.

not Irish Biden's not Irish right it's C. all about principle and pride yes was. instilled in Us by my mother that we are. proper Irish we are lace curtain Irish. now my mother's father had been a. policeman Worcester Massachusetts. directed traffic made I think $55 a week. but was able to my my mother was able to. go to Vasser college and then Yale on. law school so it was all about moving.

upward in our world and it was very. important for our mother that we were. proper and then I get into then I get. into this. business where I professionally make a. fool of myself she had to figure that. out but it's a lot about Pride it's kind. of expected you think I mean look for. years when before our ancestors came. mine came in 1848.

my mom is 100% Irish my dad is a quarter. Irish yeah but you know they got those. coffin chips in the 1850s and they came. leaving a sense of being always. ridiculed and and looked down on and. there was an enormous pride in you. know in in our literature whether you. were a farmer or a poet there was always. it's just something about look we know. who we are yeah we know who we are my. mother said Joey never bow never Bend.

never yield never she sounds tough my. mother was 5 foot one 5 foot one 5 foot. one almost 5 foot2 and she was. everybody's mother Confessor I show I. show a picture of my mom you got to come. over the oval after this is over if you. have a minute it's funny you're you're. offering that and your staff is all. saying no absolutely not. well cuz you know what they've looked. into my record well they looked into. mine too so we're. okay but there's a picture of my mom by.

my desk and my mom is holding barack's. hand on the night we get announced out. in out in Chicago million people Etc and. my mother was everybody's mother. Confessor everybody would go to my mom. for advice and so my mom she was hearing. somebody's confession figuratively. speaking she'd sit so you could see her. profile when you came in the door and. she'd go like. this like keep keep moving keep moving. keep it moving I I called her and I said. president asked me to comp being. considered being vice president I I.

don't want to do that I said Brock I. don't want to be vice president right. finally got he said well damn it's only. you there are no other choices and no. that's what he said to me and he and so. he he said go home and talk it over with. your family I was on the train it was. when he became the de facto nominee in. August so I go home sit everybody down. everybody wants me to do it I didn't. want to do it I looked at my mom who was. living with d because my dad had passed. and she said Joey she said let me get. this something remember I called you.

and I asked you about what kind of guy. he was and you said he was honest and. smart said yeah let me get this straight. honey the first black man has a chance. to be president says he need you you. told him no wow I said whoa anyway. there's a picture of my mom when she. wasn't even supposed to be out with a. million people out in Chicago when we. got announced and we walk down she walks. off the stage and there's a picture of. her grabbing barck s says come on honey. it's going to be okay she walks out. that's fantastic no that's that was my. mom I mean that's the you know it.

doesn't matter what you achieve in this. life um I mean it's this is a big moment. for me I have I'm a huge history buff I. am a amateur presidential historian and. I've interviewed presidents in my day. but never a sitting US president so I. want to get it on the record that this. is a huge honor for me it's a big it's a. big deal but I love that whoever you're. talking to and one of the reasons that I. love this doing this podcast so much so. much of us are the same I will do what.

my mother tells me to do to this day 92. years old if my mother tells me to do. something I'll do it she may not like. the way I do it but no matter what I've. achieved in this life it's fascinating. to me that you're were you were waffling. on the vice presidency and your mother. said you're doing it she said this guy. says he wants your help and you told him. no but my mother and my father my father. was a really honorable guy uh he uh and. uh he his his phrase was you're a man of.

your word without your word you're not a. man remember that remember that that was. my dad yeah everything with him was. about the notion of just being honorable. and straight never lectured it just did. it it's funny how we keep these people. with us I have on my desk I did a. performance at the Kennedy Museum uh. Kennedy Library I'm sorry in. Massachusetts and my parents were in the. audience and someone snapped a picture. of the both of them laughing they sent. it to me and I have that on my desk.

because I think that's the only reason I. do what I do it really did start when I. was a kid in the 60s in a high chair. making them laugh that was my first. audience and those are the people I'm. trying to impress and I'm still trying. to impress them you know well you know. it's interesting how many kids in the. family well there's six of us when my. dad died uh everybody thought that I. should be the one to do the eulogy we. all sat and wrote it the four kids MH. what stunned me was and my dad was a man.

of the who came up in the 30s in high. school and uh um was you know you didn't. you didn't tell your daughter how much. you loved her and always hugging her you. just you know oh that's yeah it's. generational didn't happen but so what. amazed me is a different relationship he. had with each one of us MH my sister. Valerie was he loved her and adored her. thought she was beautiful as she is but. he never say it he didn't say it out. loud so when I'm we're writing eulogy.

together all of us or my brother Jimmy. who is uh more like my dad than any of. us he said well talk talk about the dad. time dad took me flying as a pilot M. took you flying yeah but he said now. don't tell anybody he went down to. Newcastle County Airport ran an airplane. n none of us ever knew it right I mean. so the different you all saw different. versions of it yeah yeah I mean it. really wasn't my dad he didn't preach it. he just did it it was about integrity. you had to be honest.