Joe Biden Slammed for Making 'Creepy' Joke About Eva Longoria's Age

President Joe Biden is facing criticism on social media after making a joke about Eva Longoria's age while hosting her at the White House on Thursday.

Biden, 80, welcomed 48-year-old actress Longoria on the South Lawn for a film screening of the former Desperate Housewives star's directorial debut, Flamin' Hot.

As he spoke with the crowd gathered outside the executive mansion, the president said of Longoria: "We've known each other a long time. She was 17, I was 40."

In a clip of the moment shared on Twitter, the crowd can be heard laughing at the quip. It appeared as though the president was attempting to jokingly pass himself off as younger, as Longoria would have been seven when he turned 40.

However, the comment didn't amuse some on social media, where a number of detractors branded Biden as "creepy" for making such a wisecrack.

"He always comes across as a creepy old man," said one Twitter user of the president.

A comment shared by an account held by stand-up comedians and conservative political commentators the Hodgetwins—identical twin brothers Keith and Kevin Hodge—suggested that double standards were at play.

"The media thinks it's funny when Biden says it, but if [former President Donald] Trump said [it] he'd be accused of rape," read a tweet shared by the account.

Another Twitter user commented: "Why does he think this is funny? He's done it in other situations."

While a number of critics slammed Biden for his comment, some Twitter users went along with the joke.

"Congratulations to Eva Longoria on her 57th birthday," quipped one.

It wasn't Biden's only wisecrack of the night. As he introduced himself to the crowd, the commander-in-chief revisited a familiar joke when he said, per the New York Post: "I'm Jill Biden's husband."

Additionally, as he spoke with the attendees, one audience member yelled, "I love you," prompting Biden to shout back, "I accept!"

Longoria is a longtime Democratic supporter who backed Biden in 2020 and hit the campaign trail with him when he was former President Barack Obama's running mate. She is also a co-founder of the Latino Victory Fund, which champions Latinx candidates for public office.

While hosting the Democratic National Convention in 2020, she told viewers: "I share Joe Biden's belief that the story of America is one of ordinary people coming together to do extraordinary things. And at our best, our country rewards hard work, we celebrate diversity, we look out for each other, and we lift one another up."

Longoria's film Flamin' Hot, which was released on June 9, tells the story of how Mexican-American Richard Montañez (played by Jesse Garcia), who was employed as a janitor at Frito-Lay, convinced his bosses to spice up their cheesy Cheetos snack. It subsequently led to the creation of Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

"When I think about tonight's movie, I think about courage," Biden said on Thursday, per the Associated Press. "So many of you, your ancestors left behind all that they knew to start a new life in the United States."

"Richard Montañez disrupted the food industry in the '90s by channeling his Mexican-American heritage to help turn Flamin' Hot Cheetos into a multibillion-dollar brand today and a cultural phenomenon," Longoria told the crowd. "We are telling a story that celebrates the American entrepreneurial dream without sidestepping the fact that the dream isn't available in the same way for everyone."

In May, a Los Angeles Times article shared allegations that Montañez had fabricated his role in inspiring the spicy snack. Representatives of Frito-Lay have said that he "was not involved" in the culinary creation.

A White House official defended the decision to screen the movie at the executive mansion, explaining that it is not a documentary and was shown so that Americans from diverse backgrounds could see themselves reflected in film and celebrated by the president.