The United States’ top diplomat in Northern Ireland has said Americans can still see “Belfast through the lens of the Troubles” when it comes to investing here, as he prepares to depart his role as Joe Biden’s special envoy.
A member of the prolific political dynasty, Joe Kennedy III has been the US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland since December 2022.
He is due to depart the role at the end of next month, with his successor due to be appointed by the incoming President Donald Trump.
Speaking during his 10th and last visit to NI as US Special Envoy, Mr Kennedy said “the hard sell” to US businesses was getting them to set up or invest here due to the “lens” which sometimes impacted his role to “shine a spotlight and tell Northern Ireland’s story”.
He also said he hopes his uncle, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who is tipped for a role in US President-elect Trump’s administration “leads by science” despite his public health conspiracy beliefs.
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“I have tried to look at the opportunities Northern Ireland has, and in my role, the best I can do to advance it,” he said reflecting on his role over the past two years.
“Just because there’s a special envoy doesn’t mean billion-dollar investments, but it’s about putting down a presence. It’s about getting Belfast on the radar on businesses that it wasn’t before.
“The hard sell to an extent with Northern Ireland is that Belfast is known in the United States, speaking from an American perspective, is that it’s still often seen through the lens of the Troubles.
“We ran into the issue with some of the press around the 25th anniversary (of the Good Friday Agreement), and the recognition of it.
“Some of the pictures put forward by major American press outlets were at peace walls, in front of concrete barriers — which I always found frustrating, because anytime anyone swings a golf club here, the sky is blue and the grass is green.
“It’s part of a narrative change, the single biggest thing that could help Northern Ireland is that narrative change from one defined by a conflict that ended 26 years ago with a peace accord, which doesn’t mean that everything all of a sudden becomes smooth and easy, but this place has done an enormous amount of hard, difficult and painful work to get to the place it is today.
“What I view as an essential part of my job is trying to shine a spotlight on and tell that story and get that story shared as broadly as we possibly can.”
President-elect Donald Trump. Photo: Bryan Snyder/Reuters.
Mr Kennedy also said he has spent his time in the role “selling Northern Ireland” on the global stage on the “talent” here and is pleased that within his role he has witnessed Stormont’s reforming and the Windsor Framework.
“What Northern Ireland needs to do is grind out the daily task of governance, the building blocks are in place — it’s a tribute to here, you have it all, but it’s giving people peace of mind that it’s there.
“But the challenge is getting people to come here. It takes time and engagement.”
Despite a new presidential administration coming in January, Mr Kennedy’s role was always due to end at this time, however, he expects that President-elect Trump will fill the role in his administration.
“I have not engaged with the new folks at the next administration, but (the position of US Special Envoy) has enjoyed bi-partisan support,” he said.
“I expect that (President-elect Trump) will fill the position, I have no reason to believe he wouldn’t want to but I don’t think it’ll be immediate.”
He also called the election result “a bummer” and noted his family’s long history with the Biden family.
“It was obviously, from my perspective, a disappointing result. This administration has committed to an orderly transition of power,” said Mr Kennedy.
He also said he is looking forward to spending time with his family and when asked if he himself will run for public office he said: “No, well we will see, but not right now.”
Robert Kennedy Jr (Morry Gash/AP)
Despite distancing himself from public office for the foreseeable future, Mr Kennedy does have a familial connection to the incoming Trump administration — his uncle, a former Democrat turned Trump supporter, Robert F Kennedy Jr is tipped for a role in the health department, despite his anti-vaccination conspiracy theories.
“Yeah, we’ll see, obviously my family is very close, and you know, his involvement in his own campaign and then his support for President-elect Trump, was deeply disappointing to many of us,” he said about his uncle, who briefly ran as an independent candidate during the 2024 election cycle.
“That being said, the candidate he supported won, and it’ll be up to President Trump to decide how he seeks to leverage the vision Bobby has on a series of proposals.
“I hope, in whatever capacity he serves, will be guided by not only the best interests for the country, but science — he has to accept facts and evidence.”