U.S. President Joe Biden made a surprise speech yesterday at the 48th anniversary gala of NIAF, the National Italian-American Foundation, introduced by first lady Jill. “Italian-Americans have done a lot for the United States,” the commander-in-chief said after arriving at Woodley Park. Biden then exchanged a few words with Italian Ambassador to Washington Mariangela Zappia, greeting her with a warm hug.

In his 1-minute speech, the commander-in-chief recalled growing up in Claymont, Delaware where there was a large Italian community. “If your name didn’t end in ‘o,'” he joked, “you were likely to run into problems”. Biden then said he was proud to have been the first non-Italian to win the “Sons of Italy” award.