A Republican senator’s husband is facing backlash after apparently refusing to shake Vice President Kamala Harris’ hand during her wife’s swearing-in ceremony for the 119th Congress.
A video circulating on social media on Monday shows Harris standing next to Republican Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer and her husband Bruce Fischer as she is sworn in to Congress. Harris congratulated her, and she and the senator shook hands. The Vice President then asked Mr. Bruce to shake his hand, but Mr. Bruce did not respond (perhaps because he was not comfortable doing so). (Related: Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer fends off independent challenger to secure third term)
“Thank you,” Harris said as he received his blessing and his wife took the Bible from his hand. Other images from the swearing-in ceremony show Bruce holding a cane in his right hand.
We’re not considering Bruce Fischer’s intentions here, but what the video, which has 1.4 million views, doesn’t show is that he’s holding a cane in the hand the vice president intended to hold. . https://t.co/50yUUgxRwt pic.twitter.com/XYf4uTzwht
— Andrew Wegley (@andrewwegley) January 6, 2025
“The Republican senator’s husband refused to shake hands or make eye contact with Vice President Harris. That’s the level of class you’d expect from MAGA,” says political commentator and MSNBC contributor Brian Tyler Cohen. I wrote X comes with interaction clips.
“I’m sure he misses the ‘good old days,'” says Democratic Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost of Florida. I wrote Reply to Mr. Cohen’s post.
“This is a Democratic congressman vilifying an old man who didn’t shake Kamala Harris’ hand *because he carried a cane*…suggests he wants a return to slavery.” said a Twitter user. I wrote In response to Frost’s comment. “There’s no bottom to these people,” he continued, apparently referring to Democrats in general.
The Republican senator’s husband just refused to shake hands or make eye contact with Vice President Harris.
The level of class you can expect from MAGA. pic.twitter.com/hTarflIqlw
— Brian Tyler Cohen has no lies (@NoLieWithBTC) January 6, 2025
Others were also quick to comment on the exchange, perhaps before knowing the full context.
“This election was never about the economy. It was always about white supremacy,” said Keith Boykin, a former aide to President Bill Clinton. I wrote At Blue Sky.
“What a pathetic display of fragility and hatred. Apparently the bare minimum of shaking someone’s hand is too much for these people,” said Brian Allen, founder of Limefunding. said “This is the behavior of cave dwellers, plain and simple. No class, no decency, just pure malice.”
