Before former vice president Joe Biden’s campaign was racked with poor election results in early voting states, it was racked with a scandal bordering on #MeToo levels of controversy, when multiple women claimed he made them feel uncomfortable with unwanted hair touching and sniffing. Eventually commentators began noticing Biden also seems to extend this unwanted touching to children, and now a photo has resurfaced of Biden stealing a toddler’s pacifier.
According to National Post, in 2015 Biden was at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. to meet with future political opponent and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and to be named to the Order of the British Empire.
While in the embassy, Biden encountered Bloomberg’s grandson, the son of daughter Georgina Bloomberg, and began to interact with the toddler.
At some point, Biden took the child’s pacifier out of his mouth, and placed it in his own.
“What’s a boy to do when the Vice President steals your pacifier,” wrote Bloomberg.
What's a boy to do when the Vice President steals your pacifier?
Posted by Georgina Bloomberg on Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Biden explicitly apologized for unwanted touching just prior to launching his campaign in 2019 in a brief video posted to Twitter.
“Social norms are changing,” wrote Biden. “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.”
Biden concluded, “That’s my responsibility and I will meet it.”
Social norms are changing. 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. pic.twitter.com/Ya2mf5ODts
— Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) April 3, 2019
Soon after posting the video to Twitter, Biden would have another uncomfortable moment with a child.
In May of 2019, Biden told an African American child “I bet you’re as smart as you are good looking” while caressing her face.
