'Are you 17?': Joe Biden's misconception about a little girl's age makes netizens uncomfortable

"Creepy Joe" is back, some Anglo-Saxon media headlined. This nickname, which can be translated as "scary Joe" returns after a new sequence that made many netizens uncomfortable on Sunday, November 19. Democratic President Joe Biden and his wife Jill participated in a Thanksgiving event at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, along with servicemen from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS Gerald R. Ford, as well as their families. Biden addressed attendees, thanking them for their service and noting that his son, Beau Biden, had served in the military.

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Near the end of his speech, the U.S. president addressed a little girl who appeared to be wearing stuffed cat ears as a headband. "I love your ears, I love them, they're really cool. What's your name?" he asked. The girl, hesitant, lowers her eyes timidly and answers, "Catherine." "What a lovely name. That's my mom's name... How old are you? Seventeen years?" the president asked. A little boy next to her answers for her, declaring that she has 6. Deceptively surprised, Biden continues, "Six years?" before turning his attention to the boy, teasing him by asking him if he was 15 himself, to which the child declares he is "four." "Four years? You're a pretty tall guy. Well, I'll tell you, be nice to your sister. You're going to need her one day."

Reactions on the internet were swift, with some calling Biden "scary" during the impromptu exchange.

This is not the first time that the president has raised discomfort for this type of interaction with young people. Last July, he frightened a little girl by pretending to eat her ear and sniff her while visiting Finland.