In a recent campaign trip to New Hampshire, Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton did something shocking: she took questions from reporters. Of course, the questions were pretty much all softballs, including one about her favorite flavor of ice cream. Amusingly, it appears that Clinton was less-than-honest in how she answered the ice cream question.
According to a report in the New Hampshire Union Leader, Clinton had stopped at the Dairy Twirl in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and repeatedly asked the dozen or so reporters traveling with her if they would like some ice cream. The transcript from the pool report shows that they did not respond to her until one reporter finally asked if she would answer some questions.
“Would you guys like some ice cream?” Clinton asked. “Those of you have traveled to the Upper Valley in pursuit of presidential politics. How about it? I’m paying. I’ll buy if anybody wants it.”
CNN reporter Dan Merica replied, “How about instead of some ice cream, a question?”
“Aww,” Clinton pretend-groaned (as described in the pool report).
“What’s your favorite flavor?” shouted a photographer.
“I like nearly everything,” Clinton responded.
Besides the obvious silliness that an adult most likely knows their favorite flavor of ice cream, Clinton’s “I like nearly everything” contradicts statements she made just a few years ago, when she was a United States Senator from New York. A simple Google search finds several stories mentioning comments by Clinton about her favorite ice cream.
Back in 2007, Clinton did not need to pander to Granite Staters, but rather the residents of the state where she had moved barely a year before running to represent them. A Syracuse.com article mentions how Clinton “sparked a kind of strategic serendipity” at a “Farm Day” showcase of New York agricultural products that she helped organize as Senator.
At that event, a winery’s booth was placed next to the one for Mercer’s Dairy, an ice cream company located in Upstate New York. Attendees began pouring wine over their ice cream samples, and this led Mercer’s to develop wine-infused ice cream.
Clinton is quoted in the Syracuse.com article proclaiming her love for the boozy treat. “The first time I ate Mercer’s ice cream, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven,” Clinton said. “It was so good.”
She also sent a letter on her official Senate stationery, calling owner Roxiana Hurlburt the “Godmother” of her “favorite” ice cream.
Now that we have settled the absolutely critical question of Hillary Clinton’s favorite flavor of ice cream, perhaps now the press can ask some questions about her email server or Benghazi or something.
That is, if she ever lets them get past the rope line.
Follow Sarah Rumpf on Twitter @rumpfshaker.