‘Just creepy’: Biden kisses granddaughter on the lips during campaign rally

“I would like to introduce you to my granddaughter, Finnegan Biden. The reason I asked Finnegan — grandfathers are always allowed to embarrass their granddaughters — that goes along with the territory,” said Biden as he put his hand on her shoulder. “Her other grandma graduated from Clarke College in the mid-’60s and talks about it all the time.”

Biden, 77, then spoke with the audience about his family for a while until he dismissed his granddaughter.

“Granddaughters not only love their grandpops, but they like them. And that’s the great thing. Thank you, baby,” Biden said before giving Finnegan a kiss on the lips.

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Some on Twitter did not respond favorably to Biden’s public demonstration of affection for his granddaughter. Conservative Fox News host Sean Hannity, 58, called the encounter “awkward,” subsequently tweeting out a poll to see whether or not his followers found it “creepy.”

Arthur Schwartz, a 47-year-old conservative consultant, questioned, “What the hell is wrong with this guy?”

Conservative talk radio host Phil Valentine also weighed in, saying, “I’m sorry, folks. This is just creepy.”

Biden has a checkered past regarding his behavior with young women. He has repeatedly advised young girls that they are not allowed to date until they reach 30 years old and fathers to build large fences to keep young men away from their daughters.

Soraya Chemaly, author of Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger, described Biden as a “classic benevolent sexist.” His words, she said, reflected a society in which men and boys were conditioned to find identity and manhood in protecting and providing for women and girls.

“The problem with that framework, of course, is that the masculine ideal requires girls and women to be vulnerable,” she said.

Multiple women have also come forward to say Biden’s behavior toward them, which has included unwanted touching, made them “very uncomfortable.” The 2020 Democrat was eventually forced to address the matter in a statement online.

“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,” he said in April.