President Joe Biden is drawing ridicule online from some Republicans for comments he made to Howard Stern in what was considered a sudden interview on Friday.
Biden became the first ever sitting president to sit down with the longtime SiriusXM radio show host, with the pair meeting in Stern's studio in Manhattan.
They discussed a variety of topics including the president's political career, law school, his stutter growing up, playing football, saving people in a drowning incident while a lifeguard in Delaware, and the serious malaise that resulted from the death of his first wife, Neilia, and 13-month-old daughter, Naomi.
One comment made by the president that has garnered attention from conservatives was in relation to his time as senator during the 1970s, namely after the death of Neilia, when Biden was being pegged as an eligible bachelor in Washington.
"I got put in that 10 Most Eligible Bachelors list," he told Stern. "And a lot of lovely women ... would send very salacious pictures and I just give them to the Secret Service. And I thought somebody would think I was ... "
The president then seems to trail off. U.S. senators and House representatives are not provided Secret Service detail, though many do travel with some security. He then discussed how he met his current wife, first lady Jill Biden.
"I just gave up," Biden continued. "I got a call from my brother. So, I have a girl here at Delaware; Jill is nine years younger than I am. He said you'll love her. She doesn't like politics."
Newsweek reached out to the Biden campaign via email for comment.
RNC Research, an X, formerly Twitter, account managed by the Republican National Committee (RNC), posted a snippet of the audio clip and noted how Secret Service does not protect senators.
Biden claims "women would send very salacious pictures" to him when he was a senator in the 1970s: "I'd just give them to the Secret Service."
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 26, 2024
(Senators do not have Secret Service protection) pic.twitter.com/8znDMFHZcp
"CRINGE: Joe Biden tells Howard Stern about women sending 'very salacious pictures' to him in the 1970s," conservative commentator Steve Guest wrote on X.
"Confused Biden tells Howard Stern women would send him 'salacious pictures' in the 1970s, he would then 'give them to the Secret Service,'" wrote conservative TV network The First on X. "Biden did not receive Secret Service protection until 2008."
An X user, with the moniker "Johnny MAGA" wrote: "Biden tells Howard Stern women would send him 'very salacious pictures' back in his early Senate days. Literally nobody believes this."
Another X user, Proud Elephant, wrote: "WOW: Joe Biden makes up a story about how 'women would send very salacious pictures' to him. ... Does this man EVER stop lying?"
During their interview on Friday, when Biden was asked if he would debate former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican 2024 White House nominee, the president expressed openness to it.
"I am, somewhere, I don't know when, but I am happy to debate him," Biden said.
The exclusive interview, which lasted about 75 minutes according to reports, was publicized by PR Newswire at 10:14 a.m. ET, one minute before the discussion began.
Stern previously attempted to have former Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on his program in 2016, but she never participated. The pair later sat down for an interview in 2019.
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