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As she swore in U.S. senators, the vice president experienced delightful and utterly disrespectful interactions with members of Congress.
The swearing-in of U.S. senators is often a ceremonial occasion, a moment to celebrate the continuity of democracy. But as Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the event last week, the day became a study in contrasts—marked by moments of warmth and charm and flashes of tension and dissonance.
The day’s most endearing moment came courtesy of newly-elected New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim, a Democrat, and his two young sons, who presented Harris with homemade business cards proudly identifying themselves as a “marine biologist” and a “science guy.” Harris’s reaction was an instant hit.
“Wait, let me see. Marine biologist and science guy. Oh, this is so good. And you even have an email address? Oh!” she exclaimed, holding up the cards for the gathered audience. “So now I can stay in touch. This is so good.” Kim chimed in, saying, “We spent a lot of time designing,” to which Harris responded warmly, “I can tell.”
During the swearing-in of Democratic Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, his 7-year-old son, Michael, brought another moment of candor. “I’m sorry you didn’t win,” he said to Harris, referencing her loss in the 2024 presidential election.
Harris knelt to him. “You know what, sweetheart? Don’t you worry about it because there’s still so much work to do,” she said, hugging him. She turned the interaction into a teaching moment, asking, “Do you know what defeated means? Are we defeated? Nope. We’re not defeated.”
Not all interactions that day were as heartwarming. During the swearing-in of Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, Harris extended her hand to Fischer’s husband, Bruce, in a customary gesture of congratulations. What followed was a stark departure from the collegiality expected on such occasions. Holding a Bible in one hand, Bruce Fischer refused to meet Harris’s gaze and kept his hand by his side. As his wife nudged him forward, he remained resolute, his posture stiff and his eyes averted.
Harris appeared briefly taken aback, pausing for a fraction of a second before raising an eyebrow and smiling. “It’s OK, I won’t bite,” she quipped with a wry smile, attempting to diffuse the tension. But the moment lingered. Fischer finally responded with a curt “thank you” and shoved his free hand into his pocket.
The exchange quickly went viral, igniting widespread criticism online. Commentators decried Fischer’s behavior as impolite and emblematic of broader cultural and political divides. “The level of class you can expect from MAGA,” one observer noted on X, formerly Twitter. Others saw racial undertones in Fischer’s actions, highlighting the additional scrutiny and hostility often directed at Harris as the first woman of color to serve as vice president.
