At a Tuesday event on violent extremism, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. claimed to have “great relations” with Somali cab drivers in Delaware while discussing relations with east-African immigrants in Minnesota.

“In Minneapolis-St. Paul, we’re working to build relations with the East African immigrants who have made your city their home, as the same folks have made — the Somalis have made, my city of Wilmington, Del., [home] on a smaller scale — it’s a large, very identifiable Somali community,” Biden said. “I might add if you ever come to the train station with me, you’ll notice that I have great relations with them because there’s an awful lot of them driving cabs, and are friends of mine. For real, I’m not being solicitous, I’m being serious.”

Biden made news earlier in the day Tuesday for putting his hands on the shoulders of Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter’s wife.