Since Joe Biden's inauguration, one man has made clear at every opportunity his affection for the new US president. That man is Ryan Tubridy.
The RTE host is a longtime American politics junkie – and Biden's Irish roots are a source of never-ending charm for Tubs.
This morning was no exception, as the 47-year-old Dub giggled his way through an update on America's vaccine rollout.
Few Irish observers missed the Irishness of Biden's Trump putdown over the weekend, as the veteran Democrat employed a phrase we're all familiar with: "God love him."
And Tubridy could barely contain his glee as he told listeners about the episode, hailing the famous "Irish credentials" of the US president.
"This is about an Irish-ism that I just love – you'll be able to pick it out," said an audibly delighted Tubs.
Repeating Biden's charming phrase, he chuckled: "God love him – god love him. Joe Biden talking about his predecessor."
Ryan wasn't the only Irish person to be charmed by Biden's comments, which came as the 78 year old told his country: "Just over four weeks ago, America had no real plan to vaccinate most of the country.
"My predecessor – as my mother would say, 'God love him' – failed to order enough vaccines, failed to mobilise the effort to administer the shots, failed to set up vaccine centres. That changed the moment we took office."
He added: "And we’re making progress. We deployed more vaccinators, the people who put the vaccine in your arm. We’re now making it possible for retired doctors and nurses to come back and, under the law, administer these shots. We’ve put new vaccinators in the field.
"These include over 800 medical personnel from our Commissioned Corps at the Department of Health and Human Services, and personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency – FEMA – the Defense Department, the National Guard.
"We’re literally lining up — we’re lining up thousands of vaccinators, because it’s one thing to have the vaccine, and it’s very different to get it in someone’s arms."
