Biden Touches Girl At Rally Despite Pledge To Respect Women's Space, Gets Slammed Online
Michelle Gustafson/Bloomberg via Getty Images
By
Ryan Saavedra
@realsaavedra
May 28, 2019
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden stirred ire on social media on Tuesday after he touched a young girl at a campaign rally despite pledging last month to be "much more mindful" about not invading people's personal space without their permission.
The New York Times
reported that the interaction between Biden and the 10-year-old girl happened after she asked him a question about political division in the country.
"She told him that her favorite subject was journalism, so Mr. Biden proceeded to bring her to the back of the room, where journalists and TV cameras were congregated, and put his hands on her shoulders," the Times added. "The moment raised some eyebrows among online commentators. In the weeks leading up to his entrance into the race, a number of women said Mr. Biden had made them uncomfortable by touching them, leading to a reckoning around the physical way he has often interacted with women in public."
Washington Post national political reporter Felicia Sonmez also documented the incident, tweeting: "In a somewhat odd moment at tonight's AFT town hall, Biden tells a 10-year-old girl, 'I’ll bet you’re as bright as you are good-looking.' He takes her over to the assembled reporters, then stands behind her and puts his hands on her shoulders while he's talking."
"Recall that Biden filmed a video last month in which he vowed to respect women's personal space," Sonmez added. "Seems he hasn't quite gotten the message."
Video here
https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1133517452325711872