Joe Biden swarmed by protesters during surprise Dublin visit to support Hunter

Multiple people were arrested as former US president Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Trinity College in Dublin on Tuesday.Biden, 83, was accompanied by former first lady Jill Biden to a ceremony where their son, Hunter Biden, accepted the Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution for Public Discourse. Demonstrators and spectators gathered outside the venue during the event hosted by the College Historical Society (HIST). As Biden departed, some people stepped forward and threw objects.Former US president Joe Biden and Hunter Biden arrive at a College Historical Society event in Dublin (Niall Carson/Press Association)Gardaí public order unit officers and vans were stationed at the site and arrested at least two people.Aside from the ceremony, the former US president also met with Taoiseach Micheál Martin while in Ireland.Months after leaving office, Joe Biden revealed that he'd been diagnosed with prostate cancer. A man is detained by Garda officers outside Trinity College in Dublin (Niall Carson/Press Association)He is set to release a new memoir this month and said Sunday that he “won’t be able to do as many conversations about my book as I’d hoped” due to his health. Biden said his doctors “continue to be encouraged by how I've responded to treatment” while acknowledging, “some days are better than others. It hasn't stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down.”He says his new memoir is the best way he can explain his presidency, “the challenges we faced, the decisions I made and why I made them.” Protesters gather near the event attended by Joe and Hunter Biden (Niall Carson/Press Association)Biden faced widespread concerns about his age during his four years in office and he abandoned his reelection bid after a disastrous June 2024 debate with Trump. In one excerpt from his new memoir, Biden recounted an unusual Oval Office meeting with Trump days after the 2020 election.Biden says Trump told him: “‘You know, Joe, if it weren't for politics, I believe we'd be good friends,’” and that “he’d been relieved he didn’t have to run against me.”He wrote, “All presidents must confront a feeling that their legacy is vulnerable to the pendulum of politics and the whims of their successors.Biden arriving on Nov. 10, 2026 (Niall Carson/Press Association)“In my case, that feeling was magnified by the dismissive and destructive nature of Donald Trump, who seemed unable to tolerate the idea that someone else’s accomplishments might be worth building on rather than tearing down.”Promise Me, America is set for a Nov. 17 release.