Is Bono an American citizen? U2 frontman champions fight against AIDS at State of the Union address

U2 frontman Bono, aka Paul David Hewson, was the latest celebrity guest to attend Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. The musician and longtime HIV/AIDS activist joined other guests, including the parents of Tyre Nichols, cancer survivors, military veterans, and first responders at Jill Biden’s viewing box.

During the session, Hewson was seen sitting next to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi. According to an official statement, the singer was part of the President’s guest who was invited by the White House because they “personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech.”

The statement mentioned that the guests also “embody the Biden-Harris Administration’s policies at work for the American people.” While Bono is not an American citizen and hails from Ireland, he has long championed as an advocate for global health and AIDS relief initiatives.

The musician, along with other activists, played a key role in building public and bipartisan political support for the creation of PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). The PEPFAR program was announced by President George W. Bush in his State of the Union 20 years ago.

Speaking about the initiative during his State of the Union speech, President Joe Biden said:

“Twenty years ago, under the leadership of President Bush and countless advocates and champions, we undertook a bipartisan effort through PEPFAR to transform the global fight against HIV/AIDS. It’s been a huge success. I believe we can do the same with cancer. Let’s end cancer as we know it and cure some cancers once and for all.”

Shortly after, the cameras cut to Bono and focused the frame on the rock star. PEPFAR is known for revolutionizing life-saving HIV medications in poor countries and saving 25 million lives across the world.

In addition to his contribution to PEPFAR, the U2 star is also the co-founder of the nonpartisan ONE Campaign that works with governments to fight poverty and preventable diseases as well as Product RED, which has reportedly raised over $700 million from businesses to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

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A closer look into Bono’s nationality and early life

Paul David Hewson, who is better known by his stage name Bono, was born on May 10, 1960, at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. He is Irish and does not have the U.S. citizenship.

He was the second child of Iris and Brendan Robert “Bob” Hewson and grew up with his elder brother Norman. His father was a Roman Catholic, while his mother attended the Church of Ireland. The musician was raised in the northside suburb of Finglas in an interdenominational Christian household.

Bono’s parents reportedly decided that their first child would be raised Anglican and their second child Catholic, but despite being their second child, the singer also attended Church of Ireland services with his mother and brother. However, his father also took him to attend mass at St Canice's Catholic Church.

Hewson studied at a the local primary school named Glasnevin National School as a child and later attended St. Patrick's Cathedral Grammar School for a year. Shortly after, he moved to a multi-denominational school in Clontarf named Mount Temple Comprehensive School.

The musician reportedly bought a top-floor duplex apartment in Manhattan's San Remo apartment building from Steve Jobs for $15 million in the late 1980s or early 1990s. He is also the owner of multiple other luxury properties in the U.S. and Europe.

According to Virtual Globetrotting, Bono and his wife Alison Hewson live in their mansion in Killiney, Ireland, in a posh seaside neighborhood called Dalkey.

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Twitter reacts to Bono’s presence at State of the Union address

Bono trended on social media after attending State of the Union address (Image via Getty Images)

Bono recently made news after being spotted at Joe Biden’s State of the Union address with other invited guests. He was seen sitting beside Paul Pelosi at Jill Biden’s viewing box during the session.

As news of his attendance surfaced online, several social media users took to Twitter to question the reason behind the musician’s presence at the address.

Meanwhile, others were quick to point out that the U2 frontman attended the session as an advocate of the fight against AIDS. Netizens also said that Bono was focused during the President’s reference to Bush’s PEPFAR program for his key role in the initiative:

During the State of the Union address, President Joe Biden touted the progress made under his administration and discussed topics surrounding gun violence, police reform, abortion rights, climate change, inflation, infrastructure, 12 million new jobs, unemployment rates and the Russia-Ukraine crisis, among others.