Biden to make first public appearance after inappropriate touching accusations

Former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday will make his first public appearance since seven women came forward with stories of inappropriate behavior they say they experienced when meeting him.

The Associated Press reported Friday that Biden will speak to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, his first remarks since he pledged to do better in a video posted Wednesday on social media.

{mosads}It wasn’t clear whether Biden planned to address the controversy surrounding the accusations during the event, according to the AP, and a spokesman for Biden didn’t immediately return a request for comment from The Hill.

In a video released Wednesday, Biden sought to address the tide of news coverage after several women said that his interactions with them bordered on inappropriate. He made a pledge to be more respectful of women’s personal space.

One of the accusers, who was 19 at the time of the meeting with Biden, said that the former vice president refused to move his hand from her thigh during an event about sexual assault after she attempted to stop him.

“Social norms have begun to change, they’ve shifted, and the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset, and I get it,” he said in the video. “I hear what they’re saying. I understand it. I’ll be much more mindful. That’s my responsibility, and I’ll meet it.”

Biden is widely considered to be planning a bid for the White House and has consistently polled at the top of the field of 2020 Democratic candidates. He is expected to launch his campaign after Easter.

“In the coming month I expect to be talking to you about a whole lot of issues, and I’ll always be direct with you,” he said in Wednesday’s video.