Nebraska Republican Senator Deb Fischer's husband Bruce went viral after refusing to shake the hand of Vice President Kamala Harris—or even look at her—during his wife's swearing-in ceremony on Monday.
The exchange proceeded routinely, with Harris leading Senator Fischer in the oath of office. Fischer recited the oath, and the two shook hands as Harris thanked her for her contributions. However, when Harris turned to greet Bruce Fischer, saying, "May I extend congratulations to you?" and extending her hand, he declined to shake it, only saying, "Thank you," before averting his gaze.
Notably, Bruce Fischer was holding a Bible in one hand and a cane in the other, which may have been why he refrained from reciprocating the gesture. During the interaction, Harris lightheartedly encouraged Bruce Fischer to step closer, assuring him with a smile, "I won’t bite."
Harris visibly raised her eyebrows and grimaced briefly before the group turned forward for a photo. In the picture, Bruce Fischer remained expressionless, refraining from smiling.
Political activist Brian Allen called this out on X, writing:
"What an absolutely pathetic display of fragility and hate. The bare minimum—shaking someone’s hand—is apparently too much for these people. This is cave-dweller behavior, plain and simple. No class, no decency, just pure spite."
You can see the moment in the video below.
Another observer resurfaced a video showing that Bruce Fischer, in contrast, shook the hand of former Vice President Mike Pence when his wife was sworn in several years ago—which only made his response to Harris look even worse.
Many have criticized him as a result.
In addition to swearing in senators, Harris presided over the certification of President-elect Donald Trump's election win, smiling widely when the vote total reached the threshold declaring Trump the next president and when she received a standing ovation from her party as her vote total was announced.
Harris was praised for "stunning dignity" by Michele Norris, a senior contributing editor for MSNBC, even as Republicans "who stood in the congressional chamber and applauded Harris’ quick and seamless certification never publicly accepted the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s win."
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