Seven woman total have publicly voiced their objections to the former vice-president’s physical behavior

Three more women have come forward to say former vice-president and potential 2020 Democratic contender for the White House Joe Biden touched them in a way that made them uncomfortable.

Biden vows to respect women's personal space amid new allegations Read more

The three women spoke to the Washington Post on Wednesday, bringing to seven the number of women who have publicly voiced their objections to physical behavior by Biden, as he weighs a presidential bid.

Vail Kohnert-Yount said she was a White House intern in 2013, when Biden was vice-president under then president Barack Obama.

She was exiting the basement of the West Wing when she was asked to step aside to make way for Biden, who came over to greet her and shook her hand.

“He then put his hand on the back of my head and pressed his forehead to my forehead while he talked to me. I was so shocked that it was hard to focus on what he was saying. I remember he told me I was a ‘pretty girl’,” Kohnert-Yount told the Post in a statement.

The former intern said she was uncomfortable and embarrassed by Biden’s comments about her appearance, “even though it was intended as a compliment” and she believed his intentions were good.

“I do not consider my experience to have been sexual assault or harassment,” she said. “But it was the kind of inappropriate behavior that makes many women feel uncomfortable and unequal in the workplace.”

In a video released on Wednesday as he prepares to launch a likely presidential bid, Biden promised to change his behavior and be more careful about respecting personal space. He said he has always hugged both men and women and grabbed their shoulders as a way of making a personal connection, but believes social standards have changed.

“The boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset, and I get it,” he said. “I’ll be much more mindful. That’s my responsibility.”

Play Video 2:07 Joe Biden issues statement on misconduct allegations – video

The three women who spoke to the Post said they were not fully satisfied with Biden’s latest comments.

Sofie Karasek said she met Biden after the Oscars in 2016, where she had been part of a group of sexual assault survivors who appeared on stage. Biden clasped her hands and placed his forehead against hers, a scene that was photographed at the time.

Karasek told the Post she felt awkward and uncomfortable, although she appreciated Biden’s support. She said that in his latest video, he “still didn’t take ownership in the way that he needs to”.

The third woman, Ally Coll, said she met Biden when she was a Democratic staffer during the 2008 presidential campaign. He squeezed her shoulders and complimented her smile, and Coll said he held her “for a beat too long”.

“There’s been a lack of understanding about the way that power can turn something that might seem innocuous into something that can make somebody feel uncomfortable,” she said.

Biden also has prominent defenders, including female political leaders, who have said his physical greetings and gestures of support were well-intentioned and employed with both men and women, and touted his strong record on women’s rights.