US President Biden's reportedly more benevolent relations with the press surfaced again on Sunday when reporters approached him on a tarmac in Delaware to ask about what he personally was giving up for Lent, which led to another discussion about his passion for ice cream and sweets.
"I gave up all sweets for Lent, you have no idea how hard it is for me," the president said in response to a reporter's question about what he gave up for Lent, as the White House journalists chuckled.
In a follow-up question, the reporter wondered, "What's the first sweet you're looking forward to having?"
"Ice cream," Biden said.
Some social media users criticized the White House press for being insufficiently hard on the president compared to his predecessor and thus falling short of journalism standards.
However, other users defended Biden for being much more "normal".
According to Fox News' report, the press encounter was similar to the moment in mid-October when Biden was asked what flavor ice cream he ordered at the height of the scandal surrounding his family's overseas business dealings, specifically his son Hunter's, given the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern US border.
Given that Biden is a prominent ice cream lover, press secretary Jen Psaki unveiled the president's favorite flavor in January.
"When I was in Wilmington before the president was inaugurated, I did ask him for my four-year-old niece Suraya – who was very curious about what his favorite ice cream was – and his favorite ice cream was chocolate chip," Psaki said back then.
Biden himself, for instance, stated back in 2010: "I am a genuine lover of ice cream. I don't drink. I don't smoke. But I eat a lot of ice cream."