Biden took the stage and joked ?I just wanted to let you know I had permission to hug Lonnie."

The crowd of mostly older white men laughed at this. https://t.co/cHBeQESVqt — Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) April 5, 2019

There was a little bit of a disturbance with some kids in the room so Biden asked all the kids in the room to come on stage. He shakes hands with me and then says “by the way you gave me permission to touch him.” pic.twitter.com/G6NbXey0YR — Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) April 5, 2019

***

Joe Biden will make his first public appearance since seven women came forward to accuse the former Vice President of inappropriate contact that made them uncomfortable.

Controversy erupted on March 29 when former Nevada lieutenant governor nominee Lucy Flores alleged that Biden grabbed her, smelled her unwashed hair, and gave her a "big slow kiss" on the back of her head at a campaign event.

"I wanted nothing more than to get Biden away from me," said Flores.

Biden issued a statement claiming he had no memory of "acting inappropriately," followed by a two-minute-long video response in which he never says he's sorry.

Accuser Sofie Karasek - who said Biden violated her personal space when he pressed his forehead into hers at the Oscars - told the Washington Post that she wasn't impressed with his response, as he "didn’t take ownership in the way that he needs to."

"He emphasized that he wants to connect with people and, of course, that’s important," said Karasek. "But again, all of our interactions and friendships are a two-way street … Too often it doesn’t matter how the woman feels about it or they just assume that they’re fine with it."

Sittin' here like a loaded gun

I'm waiting to go off pic.twitter.com/JuKbdN65y2 — Rudy Havenstein, I Still Have Hope (@RudyHavenstein) April 3, 2019

It is unclear whether the 76-year-old Biden will address the situation during his Friday remarks to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, however the recent allegations don't seem to have deterred him from his 2020 ambitions.

Biden allies insist the eruption has done little to slow down planning for a 2020 campaign. Barring the unforeseen, he is expected to announce his candidacy, perhaps online, after Easter and immediately embark on a trip to early voting caucus and primary states. Those stops would be followed by a ceremonial kickoff. Advisers say they are working to build out a robust campaign staff, including operatives in Iowa and South Carolina, states that are seen as key to his path to the nomination. Women are being considered for key roles, including senior strategist and deputy campaign manager, according to advisers, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the planning publicly. Biden’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens, has long been one of his most trusted political confidantes. His daughter, 37-year-old Ashley Biden, who has largely kept a low profile during his political career, may also take on a more prominent role. She has quit her job as a social worker, fueling speculation. -AP

Not so fast

Women's groups, meanwhile, have spoken up against Biden's poor attempts to apologize for his role in overseeing the Senate hearings during which Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment.

Biden, then the Senate Judiciary Chair, faced criticism from the left for allowing his Senate colleagues to cross-examine Hill with embarrassing questions, while refusing to allow three other accusers to testify in support of Hill's claim that Thomas sexually harassed her at two different jobs.

Reflecting on the Hill ordeal, Biden said that he had "publicly apologized to Anita," likely in reference to an interview he did with NBC, and said that he wished Hill had received "the kind of hearing she deserved, given the courage that she showed by reaching out to us" - as if he wasn't in charge of it.

Biden was also broadly panned following reports that he was considering asking 2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, a 45-year-old African American woman, to be his running mate during the Democratic primaries. Abrams herself brushed back the speculation by saying she thought a woman or a minority would be the Democratic Party nominee in 2020. Speaking to MSNBC on Thursday, Abrams offered support for Biden and said Democrats shouldn’t “have perfection as a litmus test.” But in a sign of the volatility that could be ahead for the Democratic field, Abrams said she doesn’t expect to decide whether to launch a presidential bid of her own until the fall, just months before primary voting begins. -AP

"It feels so much like some of the other MeToo stuff that’s been floating around, that I’m afraid he might get tarred with that brush whether or not it’s really warranted," said 70-year-old Democrat Mike Waggoner from Waterloo, Iowa. "This is such a sensitive area and an important area, I’m afraid it could just take him out."