David Jackson

USA TODAY

Vice President Biden sought Tuesday to clarify his comment that income inequality is a "relatively new" issue for Hillary Clinton, a statement trumpeted by Clinton primary opponent Bernie Sanders.

"What I meant was, for the last five years, she's been engaged in foreign policy," Biden told NBC's Today show, referring to her term as President Obama's secretary of State.

Income inequality "has been Bernie's mantra from the time he's gotten involved," Biden added. "Even when income inequality wasn't as serious as it is today, it was his drumbeat. And so that's what I meant."

Clinton is "coming up with some very good ideas," Biden added, while "Bernie is pushing the envelope on this for everyone — for everyone involved."

In an interview aired Monday on CNN, Biden said that income inequality — a big issue in the Democratic primary battle between Clinton and Sanders — has been "relatively new for Hillary to talk about."

Her "focus has been other things up to now, and that's been Bernie's — no one questions Bernie's authenticity on those issues," Biden said on CNN.

The Sanders campaign — locked in a tight race with Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire — quickly promoted Biden's comments on Monday night with a tweet linking to a story about the CNN interview.

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