“He was being Joe.”
That was the explanation from Sen. Chris Coons after his 13-year-old daughter Maggie became a beltway sensation after snubbing a kiss from Vice President Joe Biden during the Delaware Senator’s swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday.
Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Coons could not escape without being the topic brought up by host Chris Wallace after the two discussed the Keystone XL pipeline alongside Sen. John Hoeven.
“You were sworn in for a term this week, and this video went viral of Joe Biden whispering in your daughter Maggie’s ear and then giving her a kiss. A lot of people thought she looked very uncomfortable,” Wallace said. “What was he saying to her?”
“And, I have to ask because a lot of people have been speculating about it, does she think the vice president is creepy?” Wallace asked Coons.
“No,” said a laughing Coons. “She doesn’t think the vice president is creepy. He’s known my kids their whole lives. Joe was just being thoughtful. He was leaning forward and whispering some encouragement in to her about how when he was sworn in, and his own daughter, Ashley, was 13, she felt awkward and uncomfortable, and he was encouraging her about how to get through a day with lots of cameras and lots of folks watching.
“He was being Joe,” Coons said. “He was being thoughtful and he was being sweet.”
“How does she feel about being such a media star,” Wallace asked.
“I think she’s pleasantly surprised that more people have heard of her than have heard of me,” Coons said.
