US President Joe Biden attempted to counter accusations of being 'anti-British' during his visit to Belfast by emphasizing his English roots. Speaking at Ulster University

to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Biden narrated a story about a former US ambassador to the UK discovering that one of his ancestors wrote the rules of mutiny for the British navy in the 1800s. He also mentioned that parts of his family were from Nottingham.

Although he and Rishi Sunak, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, held talks over tea for 45 minutes, hopes of a thaw in relations were overshadowed by the Democratic Unionist Party's criticism that Biden, who has often emphasized his Irish heritage, 'hates Britain.' While Sunak said the countries were 'very close partners and allies' and had a 'very good discussion' about economic opportunities in Northern Ireland, officials made clear the leaders would not be talking about reviving a trade package. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.