Tánaiste breaks with convention and backs Joe Biden's pick of Kamala Harris as running mate

He described the then-Taoiseach as “a friend” and “a very special guy.”

When asked whether he would like to see President Trump win a second term, Mr Varadkar sidestepped the question by replying “that is a matter for the American people”.

In general, Irish politicians avoid comment on foreign elections as they will have to build diplomatic ties with the ultimate winner.

However, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment has broken with tradition to indicate that he wants Joe Biden to take control of the Oval Office.

Writing on Twitter, he wished Mr Biden luck in his campaign, calling Ms Harris a “trailblazer”.

“Good luck Joe. Delighted you chose the brilliant @KamalaHarris as your running mate,” he said.

“A true trailblazer, half-Indian and committed to justice. And you’re both Finnegans! I know you’ll both be friends of Ireland,” he added alongside a photo of him and Mr Biden from 2017 at their meeting at Farmleigh House.

Mr Biden, who was Barrack Obama’s vice-president, regularly boasts of his Irish roots and brought his family on a tour of the country towards the end of his term in the White House.

His great-grandfather, James Finnegan, emigrated from Louth as a child in 1850.

Mr Trump’s connection to Ireland is the Doonbeg golf course which he visited last year.

If, as planned, Mr Varadkar becomes Taoiseach again in December 2022, he will travel to Washington the following March to meet the winner of November’s election.

Higher Education Minister Simon Harris has tweeted about the US election this year, jokingly posting a photograph of himself and Mr Biden with the caption: “The original Biden-Harris”.

Minister Varadkar’s own department and the Fine Gael press office referred queries for comment from Independent.ie to the Taoiseach’s press office.

Queries to the Taoiseach’s press office went unanswered.

Separately, both Mr Varadkar and Mr Harris’ tweeting was criticised by Fianna Fáil TD James Lawless.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sarah McInerney, when asked about Leo Varadkar’s Twitter jab at Sinn Féin being no place for "white, male or even worse, middle class”, Mr Lawless said that he doesn’t think he should have sent that tweet.

“It probably would be helpful if he refrained from commenting on other matters.

“Perhaps if everybody confined themselves to their own departments, it would be helpful for everybody.”

When asked about Mr Harris’ tweets about health matters, the Deputy added that it would be more “helpful” if “everybody keeps their head down in their own area”.

“Everybody has a job to do, everybody has their best to do it, I think if everybody keeps their head down in their own area, rather than sniping, rather than looking across the fence at others, I think it would be more helpful,” he added.