President Joe Biden is facing criticism for how he kicked off an event hours after a school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee.
During an event at the White House on Monday, Biden said, “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!”
Watch the video below:
BIDEN: "I eat Jeni's ice cream—chocolate chip…I have a whole refrigerator full upstairs! You think I'm kidding? I'm not!" pic.twitter.com/qRDI72T1zM
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 27, 2023
He went on, “If I were allowed to take you upstairs, I got a whole freezer 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-Ban sunglasses, but what the hell,” he added drawing laughs from the crowd.
Joe Biden:
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 27, 2023
"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-Ban sunglasses, but what the hell." pic.twitter.com/OTF8IbADts
His comments come hours after a shooter killed three students and three adults at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, as IJR reported.
Several on Twitter took issue with his light-hearted opening to the event.
One commentator with the name ALX tweeted, “In the wake of a school shooting, Joe Biden says he came down to speak because he heard there was ice cream and gets distracted by ‘good looking kids’ in the audience.”
In the wake of a school shooting, Joe Biden says he came down to speak because he heard there was ice cream and gets distracted by “good looking kids” in the audience. pic.twitter.com/7d3Utjn0Uv
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) March 27, 2023
Meanwhile, commentator Collin Rugg wrote, “Fox News cuts to Joe Biden expecting him to speak on the Nashville shooting, instead finds him ranting about eating Jeni’s chocolate chip ice cream.”
BREAKING: Fox News cuts to Joe Biden expecting him to speak on the Nashville shooting, instead finds him ranting about eating Jeni’s chocolate chip ice cream.pic.twitter.com/6rJsFL2dAN
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 27, 2023
PragerU’s C.J. Pearson tweeted, “3 children and 3 adults are dead in Nashville today following a school shooting. But what does Joe Biden want to talk about? Ice Cream.”
Shortly after talking about ice cream, Biden did address the shooting as he said, “It’s sick. We’re still gathering the facts of what happened and why. And we do know that as of now, there are a number of people who did not make it, including children.”
President Biden renews his call for an assault weapons ban following the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee:
— The Recount (@therecount) March 27, 2023
“It’s sick … We have to do more to stop gun violence … These children, these teachers, we should be focusing on their mental health as well.” pic.twitter.com/cUUtZ9AUHA
The president added, “We have to do more to stop gun violence. It’s ripping our communities apart.”
He also urged Congress to pass what he called an assault weapons ban.