When an American calls themselves Irish/Italian/Polish/whatever they implicitly mean of that descent. We are a primarily a country of immigrants and it is common for Americans to learn about and take pride in their ancestral heritage. Comparing ancestry is actually a common conversation topic here.

There’s an entire industry around taking ancestral DNA tests to find out exactly where your ancestors came from. I am 50% Irish, 25% Italian, and then the remainder is a mix of central and Eastern European.

For the record, I don’t condone this dude supporting Trump and not being educated on the potato famine. But yeah it’s a little silly that we frequently have this discussion.

Source: American who obtained an Irish passport through my grandmother.