It looks like things got a little heated at a ceremonial tea at the White House ahead of President Trump’s inauguration earlier this month. Doug Emhoff, the former second gentleman, reportedly had a tense exchange with Bruce Fischer, the husband of GOP Senator Deb Fischer (R.-Neb.), after a chilly encounter between Fischer and Emhoff’s wife, Vice President Kamala Harris.
According to CNN, Emhoff didn’t hold back when Fischer tried to shake his hand. He allegedly asked, “Why would you try to shake my hand when you wouldn’t shake my wife’s hand?” Ouch.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting: Neither Vice President Harris nor Senator Fischer were involved in this confrontation. But it all seemed to stem from a moment during Deb Fischer’s Jan. 3 swearing-in ceremony.
In the footage from that day, viewers noticed something odd—Bruce Fischer completely avoided eye contact with Harris. While Deb Fischer was all smiles, shaking Harris’s hand after taking her oath, her husband seemed far less warm. He didn’t offer much more than a brief “thank you” before stuffing his hand in his pocket.
But things didn’t stop there. Right before the ceremony, Bruce Fischer even seemed reluctant to stand next to Harris, prompting her to joke, “It’s OK, I won’t bite. I’m not going to bite, don’t worry.”
Naturally, this awkward moment quickly went viral, sparking a flurry of comments from viewers on both sides of the political divide. Senator Fischer later posted about the event on social media, sharing photos but not acknowledging her husband’s cool reception of the vice president. She did, however, share her political vision for the future: “Together we will continue to stand tall for our shared values and take care of our people,” she wrote.
As for the tense exchange on Inauguration Day, it seems things eventually calmed down. The source says that after some heated words, Bruce Fischer apologized, and the two men managed to chat about golf and other topics, leaving the incident behind them.
In the end, it seems like an awkward moment at the White House turned into a small conversation over sports. But definitely a moment worth watching!
