Former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday joked about the inappropriate touching accusations made against him by a number of women just days after pledging that he would be "more mindful and respectful" of people's space.

The longtime politician's two jokes during a speech at a conference in Washington could shed some early light on how the likely 2020 Democratic presidential candidate plans to rebuff accusations that he made inappropriate physical contact.

One joke came shortly after Biden invited four children on stage. Biden put his arm around a young boy and told the crowd, "by the way, he gave me permission to touch him."

The comment provoked laughter from the kids onstage, as well as those in the audience. He was speaking at a conference of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

It was the second joke Biden made about the accusations during the speech. Earlier, Biden joked that Lonnie Stephenson, IBEW's international president, gave Biden permission to hug him.

The jokes earned pushback from at least one of the women who have accused Biden in recent weeks of inappropriate physical contact.

They show that Biden "hasn't reflected at all on how his inappropriate and unsolicited touching made women feel uncomfortable," said Lucy Flores, who in an article in The Cut published last month accused Biden of kissing her on the back of her head during a rally in 2014, while she was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor of Nevada.

"To make light of something as serious as consent degrades the conversation women everywhere are courageously trying to have," Flores said.