Awkward moment: Senator's husband snubs VP Kamala Harris' handshake; video goes viral

UPDATED: Jan 8, 2025 00:46 IST

Republican Senator Deb Fischer's husband attracted viral attention on social media following a recent incident during a swearing-in ceremony on Friday when he declined to shake Vice President Kamala Harris’ hand.

The moment was captured in a video posted by liberal commentator Brian Tyler Cohen and quickly spread across left-leaning social media accounts.

In the footage, after Senator Fischer took the oath of office, Vice President Harris congratulatesdher with a handshake.

“Congratulations. Thank you for your work,” she said.

Harris then turned to Fischer’s husband, Bruce Fischer, extending her hand and asking, “May I give congratulations to you?”

However, Fischer responded with a polite “thank you,” but declined to take her hand. Harris was momentarily surprised as she raised her eyebrows but refrained from commenting further.

The awkward exchange quickly became fodder for social media.

Brian Tyler Cohen, a liberal commentator, used the clip to highlight what he called “the level of class you can expect from MAGA,” referring to the MAGA movement associated with the Republican Party. The video was shared by several other liberal accounts, sparking discussions about the gesture.

In response, conservative voices pushed back, citing different angles of the video that appeared to show Fischer’s right hand resting on a cane.

Mollie Hemingway, senior editor at The Federalist, argued that the edited video did not show Fischer’s hand being occupied by a cane. She suggested that people should be more understanding, saying, “If someone swearing in 100 people and greeting their families didn’t notice the cane, maybe cut them some slack. And if the husband seemed gruff, likewise, maybe cut him some slack.”

Megan Basham, a writer for The Daily Wire, also responded to Cohen’s post, asking, “What sort of person, after being informed that this man is disabled and uses a cane, chooses to leave this up?”

The incident took place during the annual swearing-in ceremony, where the Vice President, as president of the Senate, typically swears in new senators at the beginning of each congressional session. Senator Fischer, a Republican, was sworn in for her third term in November 2024.

Kamala Harris lost the presidential elections to Donald Trump in November.