President Biden drew laughs at the White House on Thursday after he joked with actress Eva Longoria about how old he was when he first met her. The 48-year-old Hollywood actress joined the 80-year-old president on the South Lawn Thursday night for a movie, the New York Post reports.
"We've known each other for a long time," Biden told a crowd outside the executive residence. "She was 17, I was 40," he joked, drawing laughter. It looks like the president may have been trying to appear much younger than he actually was when Longoria was a teenager.
Longoria endorsed Biden in 2020, and was previously part of the campaign when he was Barack Obama's running mate. He then told the crowd, "I am Jill Biden's husband." At one point during his speech, someone in the audience yelled, "I love you," and Biden replied, "I do!"
The White House's decision to screen Longoria's film has caused much controversy. "Flamin' Hot" tells how a Mexican-American janitor - Richard Montanez - who worked at Frito-Lay sold the idea of flavoring the Cheetos snack brand to his bosses.
"When I think of today's film, I think of courage. "Many of you, your ancestors left behind everything they knew to start a new life in the United States," Biden said of the film.
A White House official defended the decision to show the film, telling the Associated Press that the film is not a documentary and was shown to give Americans of diverse backgrounds a chance to see themselves reflected in the film.