Biden responds to criticism over calling Pence ‘a decent guy’

Former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday clarified that “there is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ” after he took fire from usually friendly sources over calling Vice President Pence a “decent guy.”

“There is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the vice president,” Biden tweeted.

{mosads}Biden, who is almost certain to launch a presidential bid for 2020, made the “decent guy” comment about Pence at a Forum in Global Leadership at the University of Nebraska-Omaha on Thursday.

The comment lit up social media, with critics of Pence demanding that Biden reassess his opinion. Pence’s stance on homosexuality, including opposing same-sex marriage legislation, has earned him strong opponents among the LGBTQ community.

Actress and former New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon (D) tweeted, “@JoeBiden you’ve just called America’s most anti-LGBT elected leader ‘a decent guy.’ Please consider how this falls on the ears of our community.”

Biden responded that he “was making a point in a foreign policy context” at the event, but acknowledged Nixon’s point.

You’re right, Cynthia. I was making a point in a foreign policy context, that under normal circumstances a Vice President wouldn’t be given a silent reaction on the world stage.

But there is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the Vice President.

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 28, 2019

Biden in Omaha was referring to Pence’s reception at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, according to CNN.

“The fact of the matter is it was followed on by a guy who’s a decent guy, our vice president, who stood before this group of allies and leaders and said, ‘I’m here on behalf of President Trump,’ and there was dead silence. Dead silence,” Biden said.

NBC News reported in 2017 that Biden is friendly with Pence and at that time spoke to him about once a month.

Updated at 9 p.m.