President Joe Biden raised some eyebrows Friday afternoon when he put his hand on a young woman's shoulder during an event in Irvine, Calif., and offered her some unsolicited dating advice.
The president, after speaking at Irvine Valley College about his administration's plans to reduce inflation, including lowering drug costs, stopped for photos with the young women and others, before leaning in to give her his advice, reports The New York Post.
"Now a very important thing I told my daughters and granddaughters — no serious guys until you’re 30!" Biden said while leaning in close.
She laughed at him and told him "Ok, I'll keep that in mind," according to a clip posted on Twitter by reporter Kalen D’Almeida, who said members of the Secret Service had tried to prevent him from filming.
Biden made a similar statement before, including telling girls at a Philadelphia elementary school his advice for their future love lives. They also awkwardly laughed at him.
The president has faced scrutiny in the past, especially during his presidential campaign, for getting close to young women or hugging them, with several reports and photos alleging he sniffed their hair or even kissed them.
In April 2019, about two weeks before he announced his 2020 campaign, Biden joked about complaints from several women who said he made them uncomfortable and apologized that he didn't understand more, but not that he was sorry for hugging people, reports The New York Times.
"I’m sorry I didn’t understand more," he told reporters before speaking at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers conference in Washington, D.C. "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."
But then, as he took the stage to speak, he hugged Lonnie Stephenson, the union’s male president, and said "I just want you to know I had permission to hug Lonnie," causing the crowd of mostly men to laugh.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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