Biden jokes about ice cream in Nashville Covenant School mass shooting remarks

President Biden made a light-hearted joke before addressing the tragic mass shooting that occurred at a Nashville elementary school on Monday, in which six people were killed.

The six victims have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all 9 years old, as well as Katherine Koonce, Cynthia Peak, and Mike Hill, all 61 years old.

Speaking at an East Room event for women-owned businesses, the 80-year-old president introduced himself as Dr. Jill Biden’s husband, before mentioning his love for chocolate chip ice cream.

“I came down because I heard there was chocolate chip ice cream,” he quipped, adding that he had a whole refrigerator full of it upstairs.

However, Biden then switched to a more serious tone to discuss the shooting at the Covenant School, which he described as “sick” and “a family’s worst nightmare.”

He reiterated his call for Congress to pass a ban on assault weapons.

Biden made another mention of ice cream during his speech, this time giving a shout-out to a representative from Jeni’s, an Ohio-based ice cream chain.

He noted that the businesses represented at the event covered a wide range of industries, from restaurants to hardware stores, as well as Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, which he praised as “splendid.”

The president then expressed his desire to share his chocolate chip ice cream with the audience, but acknowledged that it was not possible.

He commented on how it was ironic that after being in public life for so long, he was known for his love of chocolate chip ice cream and Ray-Ban sunglasses.

Biden’s attempt at humor with his extended ice cream aside, which came right after addressing a horrific mass shooting, could be seen as inappropriate and is likely to be criticized by those who argue that he is too old for a second term as President.

At 80 years old, Biden is already the oldest sitting US President, and is expected to launch his re-election campaign as soon as next month.

If he completes a full second term in 2029, he will be 86 years old. Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), who served as the presidential physician for former Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama, criticized the White House last month for not producing Biden’s physician to answer press questions or disclose if he had undergone a cognitive exam during his annual physical. Jackson stated that the physician to the president, Kevin O’Connor, should “step up to the plate right now and stand up before the press and answer all the hard questions.”

One potential topic of discussion for critics of President Biden’s fitness for a second term is his recent extended aside about ice cream, which some argue suggests that he is too old to serve.

At 78 years old, Biden is already the oldest president in US history and is expected to announce his re-election campaign soon.

While some have called for transparency regarding his cognitive health, there has been no public announcement of a cognitive exam. Biden has faced criticism for a number of gaffes, including confusing the names of people who have passed away and making factual errors in his personal anecdotes.

However, supporters argue that these mistakes are consistent with Biden’s long history of misspeaking, including an incident in 1987 when he was forced to drop out of the presidential race due to plagiarism and embellishment of his record.

Donald Trump, aged 76, is attempting to challenge Joe Biden for a second time and frequently criticizes his opponent, whom he has dubbed “Sleepy Joe,” as being unfit for the presidency.

Trump has recently been targeting Biden’s moments of public confusion, such as last week when he mistakenly praised “China” instead of Canada during a speech to the Canadian parliament in Ottawa.

On Truth Social Saturday, Trump posted that errors like this, particularly the major one made in Canada’s Parliament, cannot be permitted. “We are being mocked across the GLOBE!” Trump added.