President Biden finished his campaign-style Saturday trip to Michigan with a cherry on top.
The Democrat met with local officials and voters at a cherry farm near the Traverse City National Cherry Festival, an event that has also attracted Presidents Herbert Hoover and Gerald Ford.
He chatted with two Guatemalan couples who worked on the farm for 35 years about a potential pathway to citizenship for farmworkers, before eating a cherry out of their basket.
Biden also bought several cherry pies at the farm. He later stopped at Moomers Homemade Ice Cream, where he had a cone of vanilla with chocolate chips, as Democratic Michigan Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow opted for cherry-flavored treats.
“Yeah, but I’m more of a chocolate chip guy,” the president said.
Biden paid for all three treats with a $20 bill, leaving his change on the $14.58 tab as a tip.
“The senators told me this is the best place in the world,” he said in between bites.
The trip was billed as part of a campaign to drum up support for Biden’s infrastructure package and other proposed policies, but the president opted to talk to voters one-on-one instead of delivering public remarks on the holiday weekend.
Biden is expected to welcome first responders, essential workers and military service members and their families to the White House Sunday to celebrate Independence Day, even though the US will not meet the administration’s goal of having 70 percent of adults vaccinated by July 4.
With Post wires