5 things to know about Joe Biden

By Samuel Smith, Deputy Managing Editor Thursday, March 12, 2020

4. Accused of making women uncomfortable 

Biden was accused last year of being too handsy and violating the personal space of others. 

In 2019, at least eight women came forward to publicly say that Biden in the past made them feel uncomfortable through unwanted touching or affection during encounters with him.

One woman is Vail Kohnert-Yount, who was a White House intern in 2013. 

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During an encounter in the West Wing, Yount claimed in an interview with The Washington Post that Biden put his hand on the back of her head and pressed his forehead to her forehead while he talked with her. She said that she didn’t consider the encounter to be sexual assault or harassment. 

“I was so shocked that it was hard to focus on what he was saying,” Yount recalled.  “I remember he told me I was a ‘pretty girl.’”

Lucy Flores, a former Nevada assemblywoman, wrote an essay last April detailing a 2014 interaction she had with Biden in which she claims he made her feel "uneasy, gross and confused.” She claims that Biden came up from behind her and kissed the back of her head. 

Ally Coll, a former Democratic staffer, told The Washington Post that Biden squeezed her shoulders and held her for “a beat too long” during a 2008 reception. 

Even though Coll shrugged off the incident at the time, she told the newspaper that she now feels the incident was inappropriate due to “the way that power can turn something that might seem innocuous into something that can make somebody feel uncomfortable.

In a tweet last April, Biden addressed the concerns. 

“Social norms are changing. I understand that, and I’ve heard what these women are saying,” Biden tweeted. “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.”

Biden made headlines in 2015 when much was made of his close, personal interaction with former Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s wife, Stephanie, during a 2015 swearing-in ceremony at the White House.

A photo of the interaction shows Biden standing behind Stephanie Carter and whispering in her ear as he placed his hands on her shoulders. Although much was made in the media about Biden’s interaction, Stephanie Carter later said that the photo was misleading. 

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz even recalled a time he received a “special back rub” from Biden when he first entered the Senate in 2013. 

"Biden comes behind me, and he puts both hands on my shoulders, and begins rubbing my shoulders and kinda rocking back and forth,” Cruz recalled. “And he turns to [Joe] Manchin and he says, ‘You know, there's nothing worse than a smart Republican.’ I'm not usually at a loss for words, but I had nothing to say and was really hoping someone would distract the vice president."