Democratic 2020 frontrunner Joe Biden faced awkward questions Friday over his treatment of women in an emotional first television appearance of his US presidential campaign that saw him shed tears over his son's death.
The former vice president, 76, also traded jabs with Donald Trump over their age and vigor, after the president proclaimed himself a vibrant leader who was being made to "look very young" by Biden, who is four years older.
Biden launched his presidential campaign Thursday, rounding out a crowded field of 20 Democratic candidates, but the rollout appears to have been subdued by the focus on his age and interactions with women.
Aside from pushing back against Trump -- "if he looks young and vibrant compared to me, I should probably go home," Biden said -- he spent the first half of an hour-long appearance on ABC's "The View" on the defensive.
He was quizzed by the all-women panel about several of his past actions -- and stopped short of making outright apologies for them.
Multiple women have accused Biden this year of touching them inappropriately in the past, and while they have not said the elder statesman sexually harassed them, his tactile style and invasion of personal space has come under increasing scrutiny in the #MeToo era.
"I invaded your space. I'm sorry this happened," Biden said. "I'm not sorry in the sense that I think I did anything that was intentionally designed to do anything wrong or be inappropriate."
"I don't think I treated her badly," Biden said, adding that he believed her claims of harassment "from the beginning."
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