A video of United States President Joe Biden talking about ice cream while addressing a women's business summit at the White House, hours after the recent school shooting in Nashville, Tennesee is viral claiming the president's remarks were insensitive.
However, BOOM found that the claim lacks context. We found that Biden joked about his love for ice cream during the SBA Women's Business Summit, which included children in the audience.
Six people including three children and three staff members were killed at a private Christian school in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee on March 27, 2023 when a gunman opened fire. The police identified the shooter as Audrey Hale (28), who was a former student at the school. Hale was fatally shot by officers not long after they arrived at the scene. Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake stated that the shooter was a transgender person and added that they were still in the initial investigation to say if it actually played a role in the incident reported NBC News. Drake further stated that “There’s some belief that there was some resentment for having to go to that school,” according to NBC News.
Meanwhile, a video of President Biden has gone viral following the shooting.
The 22 seconds video was tweeted by the Twitter user Benny Johnson with the caption, "Biden after 6 people dead in Nashville shooting of private Christian school: "I came down because I heard there was chocolate chip ice cream."
In the video, Biden can be heard saying, "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."
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Twitter user Greg Price also tweeted the video with the caption, "Biden: "I came down because I heard there was chocolate chip ice cream."
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral video is being shared without context and that the video is from Biden's speech at the SBA Women’s Business Summit and not during a press conference on the school shooting in Nashville
We checked the official transcripts uploaded by The White House of Biden's speech at the women's summit on March 27, 2023.
As seen in the viral video, Biden starts his address by saying what can be heard in the viral video, "Thank you. My name is Joe Biden. (Laughter.) I’m Dr. Jill Biden’s husband. (Laughter.) And I eat Jeni’s Ice Cream, chocolate chip. (Laughter.) I came down because I heard there was chocolate chip ice cream. (Laughter.)"
After this, he goes on to address the children present in the audience, which puts his ice cream remarks into context.
"THE PRESIDENT: And it’s a delight to have you all here. And who are those good-looking kids back here? (Laughter.)
MS. BLAKELY: Those are my kids.
THE PRESIDENT: They’re your kids? All four of them?
MS. BLAKELY: Yes."
The above context is not present in the viral video, which omits that he was addressing a women's summit and also that he was not at a press conference on the Nashville school shooting.
However, Biden mentioned the tragic shooting in his address at the women's summit just after his initial statements, this can be seen below.
Additionally, The White House already held a presser on the Nashville school shooting just moments before Biden addressed the summit. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed reporters on the shooting.
Biden's full interaction during the summit can be seen in the video uploaded by The White House on YouTube
