As president of the Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris was tasked with swearing in the newly-elected U.S. senators on Friday (Jan. 3). There were several striking moments from the ceremony.
A few of them included Harris joking with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as well as one of the daughters of Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) seemingly sharing she voted for Harris in the 2024 election.
However, the moment that has everyone on the internet talking is when the Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) was being sworn in for her third term by Harris. The exchange between the pair was normal, with the Vice President leading the senator in the oath of office.
After it was finished, the women shook hands and Harris thanked Fischer for her work. However, when Harris turned to Fischer’s husband, Bruce, to shake his hand he refused to do so. This disrespectful move left Harris stunned and noticeably uncomfortable.
Journalist Don Lemon reviewed the clip on TikTok and quickly exclaimed: “F you, you old racist piece of sh*t.” Another social media user, @ImKnotTheOne, plainly echoed that same sentiment.
“Bruce Fischer is 74 years old. If there is a silver lining in any of this is that he doesn’t have many more revolutions around the Sun to spread his racism,” she stated. “Kamala Harris won’t lose a wink of sleep over the decrepit, racist POS.”
Other Black folks on social media believed that a difference of political opinion is no reason for Fischer’s rudeness. “Although I don’t care for Kamala or her views, no one should be disrespected like this, not sure why he decided that he was too good to shake her hand,” @FBAGoddess444 stated.
Though conservative outlets like The Daily Caller said Harris was left “flustered” in a “painfully awkward moment,” Black folks were struck by Fischer’s overall lack of class.
Another user said, “GOP Senator Deb Fischer’s husband, Bruce, refuses to shake Vice President Kamala Harris’s hand after her swearing-in,” @realXanderXjork noted. “What a classless a**hole.”
It’s clear that Fischer knew what he was doing—and to Black people his act obviously backfired.