Joe Biden heckled at New Hampshire campaign event with 'Don't touch kids, you pervert' and 'Quid Pro Joe'
Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden has had yet another sour experience while interacting with people at a campaign rally on Sunday, December 29.
The former vice president was speaking in Milford, New Hampshire, when a number of people from the audience hurled insults at him, including "pervert" and "quid pro Joe". New Hampshire will have its Democratic primary on February 11, eight days after the inaugural battle in Iowa.
The 77-year-old Biden is trailing in the Granite State behind Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg, according to RealClearPolitics and the interruptions that he faced while speaking showed that he still has a lot of work left to bridge the gap in the voters' mind there.
At Milford, while one man called the former vice president a "pervert" and accused him of touching women and children, another person asked him to reveal the whereabouts of the money he and his son Hunter "earned from Ukraine:
Biden has created uncomfortable situations in the past for women and said he will be more careful about his approach in the future even while adding that social norms have changed.
However, he has also been accused of indulging in corruption and nepotism to serve his son's interest while he worked for a Ukrainian energy firm during his term as the vice president.
"Quite a start to Biden's event in Milford, NH — He was quickly interrupted near the top of his remarks by a protestor who called him 'creepy' and made false claims about him being a 'pervert,' tweeted NBC News' Marianna Sotomayor.
"Another woman then yelled 'quid Pro Joe' before another man began to shout about Ukraine," Sotomayor added. Check the video here.
The man who accused Biden of touching women and children also said that the US didn't want another old, white man running for the White House.
While the dig made an indirect comparison between Biden and Trump, the former responded to the man saying it wasn't a Trump rally. The man then said that he wasn't a supporter of Trump and screamed: "Don't touch kids, you pervert!"
The Democratic leader's words and actions vis-a-vis women, even those from his own party and family, raised eyebrows and he was also called "creepy" at times.
'This is democracy', says Biden
Biden was more composed this time and did not lose his cool unlike another event in Iowa earlier this month. "This is democracy,” he said though another man hit back at him saying the truth will be out soon. He was also mocked as “quid pro Joe” by another heckler.
In Iowa, an 84-year-old man lashed out at Biden over the Ukraine connection and also his age which he thought was too much to become the chief executive. The Democrat lost his composure on that occasion and told the man that he was a "damn liar.
Later, when Biden was told by a news anchor how his action was different than Trump, he raised his finger in disagreement and warned the anchor against comparing him to the man he is challenging this election season.