Prior to addressing the tragic mass shooting that left six people dead at a Nashville elementary school hours earlier, President Biden made light of the fact that the only reason he attended a White House function on Monday was because he had heard there would be ice cream.
“My name is Joe Biden. I’m Dr. Jill Biden’s husband. And I eat Jeni’s ice cream — chocolate chip. I came down because I heard there was chocolate chip ice cream. By the way, I have a whole refrigerator full upstairs. You think I’m kidding? I’m not.”
After calling the massacre at the Covenant School, where three children and three staff members died, “sick” and “a family’s worst nightmare,” the president became solemn and demanded once more that Congress adopt a law banning assault weapons.
Surprisingly, Biden brought up ice cream once again and gave a shout-out to a representative from Jeni’s, an Ohio-based business with locations around the country, including one not far from the White House.
“The businesses represented in this room stretch across industries, from restaurants to architectural firms to hardware stores, plus Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream. And by the way — by the way, it is splendid. If I were allowed to take you upstairs, you got a whole freezer full of Jeni’s chocolate chip ice cream.You know it’s pretty dull when you’ve been in public life as long as I have and you’re known for two things: chocolate chip ice cream and Ray-Bans sunglasses, but what the hell,” the President said.
Along with the misplaced effort at humor, Biden’s lengthy ice cream aside will probably provide as support for those who believe he is simply too old to be elected to a second term.
The reelection campaign for Biden, who is already the oldest US president in history, is anticipated to get under way as early as next month.
If he serves a full second term in 2029, he would be 86 years old.
