海角大神

President Joe Biden loves ice cream, especially any flavor involving chocolate. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 drink, I don鈥檛 smoke, but I eat a lot of ice cream,鈥� he听听

Thus, when we in Tuesday鈥檚 press pool got a heads-up that President Biden was going on an unannounced outing, we surmised it may involve a certain frozen treat. Which it did.听

But business first: Upon arrival at Barracks Row on Capitol Hill, we all jammed into a little gift shop called Honey Made, where Mr. Biden chatted with the owner,听, and took questions from the pool on Russia and Ukraine. The visit鈥檚 purpose, we were told, was to highlight the growth in small business. It also reflected his听听to get out more and talk to people.

Next up, a sidewalk chat with some Marines 鈥� then the gustatory highlight, a quick walk to Jeni鈥檚 Splendid Ice Creams.听The pool was left outside, TV cameras pressed against the window to record the action. Soon Mr. Biden emerged, brandishing a double-dip cone 鈥撎�听salted peanut butter ice cream with chocolate flecks plus a scoop of blackout chocolate cake on a waffle cone.

Clearly, nothing is ever simple when you鈥檙e president. Critics听, why is he going for ice cream with so many pressing matters on his plate? Why patronize an Ohio-based chain, when Washington, D.C., has its own excellent local brands?

And why ice cream in the middle of winter? On that, I can attest that Mr. Biden is not alone. Russians love to eat听听Perhaps, in a small way, it鈥檚 a bit of common ground with Vladimir Putin.听