Former Vice President Joe Biden has developed a reputation for being too “handsy” with young women over the years, earning him widespread criticism and the nickname “Creepy Uncle Joe.” But fair or not, the gaffe-prone 2020 presidential hopeful isn’t doing himself any favors by continuing to act like a pre-woke era relic — as he did on Tuesday during a campaign fundraiser in Manhattan.
In his latest cringe-worthy performance, Biden interrupted his own speech in front of wealthy Democratic donors to acknowledge a “beautiful young lady” seated in the audience.
At it again
“If we don’t step up, no one else is going to,” Biden began, discussing America’s foreign policy options in front of a small crowd at the law offices of Weitz and Luxenberg P.C. in New York City. He continued:
I want to make sure this beautiful young lady sitting at the end of the bench here lives a life that’s the same as we had a chance to live, because if we don’t change where we’re going right now, we’re in real trouble. So thank you for giving me a chance to get in the race, thank you for giving me a chance to compete.
A New York Times press pool reporter provided a transcript of the awkward exchange, distributing copies of Biden’s speech to fellow journalists and describing the former vice president’s “apparent nod to a young girl in the audience.”
When will he learn?
Biden’s apparent obsession with adolescent girls was also on display during a campaign stop in Texas last month.
“I’ll bet you’re as bright as you’re good-looking,” he told a 10-year-old girl at an American Federation of Teachers town hall in Houston, before placing his hands on her shoulders.
Of course, Biden’s interactions with these young girls wouldn’t even merit discussion if it weren’t for his history of commenting on how young women appear and touching them excessively. In March, four women came forward with stories of inappropriate touching from the former vice president, prompting Biden to release a short video pledging to “be more mindful” of his actions around women.
Days later, however, three more women revealed their own intimate descriptions of uncomfortable physical contact with the Democratic leader. In an encounter that has become typical of Biden, former White House intern Vail Kohnert-Yount alleged that he “put his hand on the back of my head and pressed his forehead to my forehead while he talked to me,” calling her, “pretty girl.”
Moreover, when introduced to Biden as a young Democratic staffer in 2008, Ally Coll says the then-vice president “leaned in, squeezed her shoulders and delivered a compliment about her smile, holding her “for a beat too long.” Sofie Karasek, meanwhile, said that Biden made her feel uncomfortable at an Oscar event honoring sexual assault victims in 2016 by pressing his forehead against hers in an unwanted embrace.
Non-apology apology
“Social norms are changing,” Biden tweeted in April on the issue after his campaign appeared to be in jeopardy. “I understand that, and I’ve heard what these women are saying. Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future. That’s my responsibility and I will meet it.”
Instead of seriously reevaluating his behavior, though, the former Delaware senator has turned to joking about his despicable conduct. At a New Hampshire campaign event earlier this month, Biden made an attempt at self-parody after a woman pulled him close to her and whispered in his ear.
“And I want the press to know, she pulled me close,” he said. “I just want you to know, okay?”
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