Former vice president Joe Biden, the leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination at this early stage in the race, tried to boost his credentials with minorities by recounting a story of going into the 'hood' in Detroit to help teach women how to code.

There's nothing wrong with the story Biden tells; Detroit at the time was lacking people with the necessary tech skills to run some of the city's basic functions such as street lights and the water system. The way he says it, however, is an example of the awkwardness that can result from candidates pandering to minority voters.

In Iowa Campaign Stop, Biden Tells Story Of Finding Women In The “Hood" To Teach How To Code youtu.be

"Through a program we had through community colleges, we can teach people how to code," Biden told the Iowa audience. "We went out, literally into the hood, and they found, turns out, 54 [people], they happened to be all women, the vast majority were women of color, no more than a high school degree, aged 25-54, and a third of them only had GEDs."

According to the Washington Examiner, some audience members reacted to the cringeworthy wording:

The use of "hood" drew nervous laughter from some Democrats in the audience. One person let out a "yikes," but later cheered for Biden at the end of his anecdote.

That's Joe Biden. This likely won't be the last time he makes people uncomfortable with the haphazard way he speaks. For some, it's both part of his appeal and potentially his biggest weakness. But it's unlikely to change between now and the primary election.

And polls show Biden performing well with minority voters. A recent CNN survey shows that Biden currently has support from 50 percent of nonwhite Democratic primary voters.

(H/T Hot Air)