And while the former vice president has apologized and acknowledged hismistakes in a video shared on his social media accounts, he also doesn’t seem to be taking the issue that seriously, making jokes about the complaints. While speaking at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers conference in Washington, D.C., Biden hugged Lonnie Stephenson, the union’s president . Immediately after he said: “I just want you to know I had permission to hug Lonnie.” The crowd, mostly made up of men, laughed and clapped.