Joe Biden posted a two-minute-long video this week not apologizing for the way he has interacted with women in the past. “I’ve always thought [politics to be] about connecting with people … shaking hands, hands on the shoulder, a hug, encouragement,” Biden said in the video, dancing around actually saying the words “sorry” to the numerous women who have come forward to express unease about prior interactions with Biden. This was on Wednesday. On Thursday, the president tweeted a parody version of the video edited with photos of Biden to make it appear like he is massaging his own shoulders and kissing his own neck.
Had it been shared by just meme accounts and those inclined to repost things from meme accounts this video wouldn’t make you raise an eyebrow. But since it’s now been tweeted by the leader of the free world we’re obligated to talk about it.
Trump’s son, Donald Jr., retweeted the same video earlier on Thursday, presumably where his father found it. (Or whoever is tweeting for Trump today, perhaps White House director of social media Dan Scavino found it.) Trump’s version does not credit the video’s original creator, @CarpeDonktum. (“I tweet and meme in support of Donald Trump,” reads @CarpeDonktum’s bio, so we’re assuming they don’t mind.) The image of Biden edited into the video originally comes from a photo of Biden and Stephanie Carter, wife of Obama-era Defense Secretary Ash Carter. Carter wrote a Medium piece this week saying Biden’s behavior was not untoward and the image has been taken out of context. (The growing number of women who have come forward to express discomfort over how Biden touched them and interacted with them do not appear to feel similarly.)
Honestly, that’s really it. The president of the United States tweeted an edited video of the former vice-president of the United States dancing around apologizing for his former physical behavior toward women in which said former vice-president appears to gently massage his own shoulders from behind. I yearn for death.
