Former Vice President Joe Biden had his book tour interrupted in his home town of Wilmington, Delaware, by a heckler who mocked Biden’s hands on habit.
‘What about the girls you molested on C-SPAN at the Senate swearing in?’ the man, who reportedly was seated in the second row behind Biden’s sister Valerie, said as he interrupted the event on Sunday, according to the Washington Examiner.
In response, Biden said ‘This is not Trump world,’ prompting the crowd to cheer.
Joe Biden is promoting his book ‘Promise Me Dad’ about his son Beau’s battle with cancer
Vice President Joe Biden takes a “selfie” with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s grandson A.J. Bellabona, after the New Hampshire Democrat was administered the Senate oath in January 2015
The heckler’s comment came after Biden had been discussing his late son Beau’s disgust regarding a pediatrician who had been convicted of raping and molesting children. Beau Biden served as attorney general of Delaware.
The man was later removed by security, and officials later said they were unsure who he was or how he obtained a seat close to the front.
When Biden was vice president his Senate swearing-in ceremonies became must-see TV for C-SPAN junkies for his shenanigans with young and old alike.
Biden loved to talk to the children, moms and grandmoms of the senators-to-be in a warm, jolly manner that quickly became known as ‘Joe being Joe.’
He regularly advised the young daughters and granddaughters ‘don’t date until you’re 30.’
While swearing in Senators in January 2015, Biden warmly greeted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his family, giving his wife a hug.
When he spotted McConnell’s grandchild, the then-VP asked the kid: ‘You doing OK? Say ‘Grandpa, can I talk to a Democrat?’ ‘
Later Biden made a cellphone call to the grandmother of Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado. She told him she couldn’t talk because she was watching her grandson get sworn in on TV.
An Irishman from Pennsylvania and long-time senator from Delaware, Biden is known for his gift of gab and a signature move in which he presses his forehead onto the forehead of nearly every woman he meets.
He warmly greeted each lawmaker’s parents, calling the mothers ‘mom,’ and draped his arm over grandchildren.
‘Brings back memories of my mom and dad at my first swearing in,’ he told more than one set of parents.
‘Mom, you come over and stand next to me,’ he said to Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford’s mother during the photo session.
Vice President Joe Biden kisses the head of Jessica Chao Hwang as they pose for a family photo after Biden delivered the Senate oath to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in January 2015.
The family of Sen. Pat Roberts conclude a family photo with Vice President Joe Biden after the Vice President administered the Senate oath to Sen. Roberts during a ceremonial re-enactment swearing-in ceremony in January 2015
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s book tour stop in his hometown of Wilmington, Del., was disrupted by a heckler
He also posed for a lot of selfies.
It was a repeat performance seen from the VP every two years when he had to swear in a new crop of senators.
At a January 2013 swearing-in ceremony, Biden leaned down to hold one of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s daughters, who immediately started crying. ‘I know I’m a Democrat but it’s okay,’ Biden said.
Biden continued the jovial atmosphere at his final Senate swearing-in ceremony in January 2017.
The then-two-year-old daughter of Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth stole the show. She blew Biden a kiss. He pretended to catch it.
He told the grandchildren of Sen. Johnny Isakson: ‘You have the hardest job. There are too many beautiful girls in this family. Keep the boys away from your sisters. You guys are going to have a real hard time.’
And he told Republican Sen. Marco Rubio: ‘Can I have a picture with just the kids? Forget you!’
Biden is wrapping up a book tour for his new tome: ‘Promise me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose,’ which chronicles his son Beau’s battle with cancer.
The book was published in November 2017. Beau Biden died at the age of 46 in 2015 due to brain cancer.
The former vice president is said to be waiting until after the midterm elections to decide about running for president in 2020.
In the meantime, he remains close to President Barack Obama – their bro-mance received much chatter on social media – and they speak often by phone.