“I’m sorry I didn’t understand more,” he told reporters about his hugs and kisses to women over the years. “I’m not sorry for any of my intentions. I’m not sorry for anything that I have ever done. I’ve never been disrespectful intentionally to a man or a woman.”
Speaking at an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers conference in Washington, the former vice president used his first public remarks since the complaints emerged to try to push past the weeklong controversy that has overshadowed his expected presidential campaign.
In his address, he largely stuck to his long-running political themes, highlighting the importance of uniting a divided nation and restoring the “great American middle class” — save for two notable asides.
As he took the stage, he hugged Lonnie R. Stephenson, the union’s president. “I just want you to know I had permission to hug Lonnie,” he said, and the largely male crowd burst into laughter.
The joke came as Biden was fending off criticism from some Democrats who worry that the 76-year-old is out of step with the party’s mores around gender and race. In recent days, he has struggled to address complaints from women that his hugs, kisses and other expressions of his physically intimate style of politicking were unwelcome.
Even as Biden sought to move past the accusations, they were plainly on his mind.
Several minutes into his remarks, Biden spotted children in the audience. After welcoming them to the stage, Biden wrapped his arm around a young boy. “By the way, he gave me permission to touch him,” he said, to laughter.
“Everyone knows I like kids more than people,” he added.
In his comments to reporters, made just a few feet from where President Ronald Reagan was nearly assassinated in 1981, Biden all but announced his third presidential bid, saying he had been “told by the lawyers” that he had to watch his words to avoid triggering certain campaign finance rules that start with an announcement. He indicated that he viewed a late entry into the crowded field as a strategic advantage.
“Give everybody else their day, then I get a shot and then we’re off to the races,” he said.
But Biden also said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if more women came forward, acknowledging that his physically intimate style of campaigning would have to change — a shift he compared to his efforts to adjust to the practice of snapping selfies with voters.
“It’s going to have to change somewhat how I campaign,” he said. “It’s a new thing. It’s important and I’m sure it’s going to take a while for it to settle out. But it’s settled out for me.”
But the public joking by Biden struck a nerve among some of the women who had expressed discomfort with their interactions.
“Biden’s consent joke is a clear indication Biden doesn’t get it and doesn’t take the voice of the women who have come forward seriously,” said Amy Lappos, who told the The Hartford Courant that Biden crossed “a line of respect” in their 2009 encounter.
Jessica Valenti, a feminist author, wrote on Twitter that Biden’s making light of the controversy was part of the problem.
“When women talk about the every day indignities we face — the too-close hugs, the shoulder rubs — a huge hurdle is the fear that we’ll be accused of overreacting,” she wrote. “That we’ll be laughed at. Biden is proving that fear correct.”
Others praised Biden’s remarks as an indication that he was listening to criticism of his behavior and trying to change.
Celinda Lake, a pollster who specializes in female voters, said Biden’s comments would resonate within a Democratic primary electorate in which a majority of voters are expected to be over 50 — and may identify with Biden’s struggles to understand shifting norms around interactions between men and women.
“I thought he showed that he accepts responsibility, recognizes the issues and is changing,” said Lake, who worked on Biden’s 2008 presidential bid. “No one is perfect. His intent was clear. And he is changing.”
The union conference offered a friendly and comfortable setting for Biden, but it represented only one element of an increasingly diverse Democratic Party base. Biden proclaimed he felt at home with the crowd, liberally sprinkling his comments with the mild profanity that he often deploys at political rallies.
“We’ve gotten so damn sophisticated. We’ve gotten so damn elitist,” he said, referring to what he said was a tilt away from valuing blue-collar labor. “I hate the way things have changed over the last 15 to 20 years.”
He used the bulk of his speech to critique economic inequality and partisanship, offering an argument for American renewal that could form the basis of his campaign. He also leveled a full-throated indictment of Trump, perhaps previewing an opening salvo.
“What in the hell is happening? Our children are listening,” he said. “This country can’t afford more years of a president looking to settle personal scores.”
Some Democrats view the former vice president, with his decades of legislative experience and a folksy, blue-collar political brand, as the most formidable potential challenger to Trump. Biden leads in most early polling of the race for the Democratic nomination.
But others fear that Biden, who would enter the White House as the oldest president in U.S. history, and his team are unprepared to deal effectively with the political pitfalls posed by his decadeslong legislative record and old-fashioned style. Biden was slow to respond personally to the furor surrounding the women’s complaints, relying at first on statements issued by aides and supporters.
As criticism mounted and more women came forward, Biden released an online video Wednesday, in which he tried to explain his approach to “connecting” with people over the years. He has described himself as a “tactile politician” who tries to comfort people with hugs, kisses and touches on the shoulder when they appear nervous or upset.
In the seemingly homemade two-minute video, Biden promised to “be more mindful and respectful of people’s personal space” in the future. Reaction to his comments was divided, with critics questioning the lack of a clear apology for his behavior and supporters praising his willingness to address the issue.
Trump taunted Biden about the accusations Thursday, tweeting a 15-second video that mocked Biden, accompanied by the text “WELCOME BACK JOE!” With his remark, the president seemed to be practically inviting a re-examination of his own record with women, including multiple claims of sexual harassment and the “Access Hollywood” tape that nearly derailed his 2016 campaign.
While Biden fashions himself as a fierce defender of women’s rights, frequently citing his work as the architect of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, he has already faced obstacles in his efforts to win over female Democrats. Women are expected to make up a majority of voters in the Democratic primary, which includes six female candidates.
Recent comments that he wished he “could have done something” to treat Anita Hill’s claims of sexual harassment with more respect during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Justice Clarence Thomas in 1991 drew fierce backlash from critics, who pointed out that Biden had been chairman of the Senate committee that questioned Hill. His shifting position on abortion rights over his 36 years in the Senate has also drawn fresh scrutiny.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.