Biden jokes about giving hugs in pro-union speech

(5 Apr 2019) Joe Biden has opened his first public speech since facing criticism from several women for unwanted touching with jokes about the controversy. Biden spoke Friday to an electrical workers union conference in Washington, D.C., and said he got "permission to hug" union president Lonnie Stephenson, who introduced him. He also hugged a boy from the audience when a group of children joined him on stage for a few moments, and joked about that, too. The comments by the Democratic former vice president was met with cheers from the overwhelmingly male crowd. Biden praised unions and credited them with building America's middle class. He also criticized President Donald Trump, saying Trump fans racism and is living in the past. He said the Republican president is "locked in the past." The Democratic former vice president says that while Trump tries to relitigate culture wars the rest of the world is leaving the United States behind. Biden cites China's push for an expanded 5G network and the rest of the world trying to implement the Paris climate accord, from which Trump withdrew. Biden says Trump "inflames our nation's oldest wounds, racism," and "opposes every day the core values of our nation." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/c39efd0bdfcdafda0b8596d967586648