Doug Emhoff confronted husband of Senator Fischer who refused handshake from Kamala Harris
The former second gentleman had words for Bruce Fischer at a White House tea ceremony ahead of President Donald Trump's inauguration.
Former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff reportedly confronted the husband of U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., who infamously refused to shake the hand of his wife, former Vice President Kamala Harris, earlier this month.
During a ceremonial tea event at the White House ahead of President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Bruce Fischer attempted to shake Emoff’s hand. Emhoff refused the gesture, considering the snub against his wife, according to CNN.
As theGrio previously reported, Bruce Fischer refused to look Harris in the eye as she congratulated him and tried to shake his hand following the swearing-in of his wife on Jan. 3. He instead looked down and simply nodded his head and said, “Thank you.” The encounter drew public outrage with accusations of sexism and racism toward America’s first female, first Black woman and first South Asian vice president. Harris, who appeared taken aback by the snub, simply smiled and said, “You sure?”
On Monday, Emhoff challenged Fischer for what he saw as an insult to his wife of 10 years. “Why would you try to shake my hand when you wouldn’t shake my wife’s hand?” Emhoff said to Fischer, as CNN reported. The outlet reports that after the confrontation, Bruce Fischer eventually came back to Emhoff to apologize. CNN reported that the two had a “cordial” conversation in which “tempers had cooled.” The two men eventually began talking about golf and other topics.
Former Vice President Harris and Senator Deb Fischer reportedly were not involved in the interaction between Emhoff and Bruce Fischer.
After leaving office and becoming regular civilians again, Harris and Emhoff returned to their home state of California. The couple’s first stop was Altadena, where they met with volunteers and helped deliver meals to victims of the Los Angeles wildfires. They also visited a Los Angeles County fire station.
“It was really important for us before we went home … we are some of the lucky ones. Our home is still standing,” Harris told reporters at the fire station. “We just wanted to come out … and just let [the community] know that we see them and that they are cared for.”
Speaking of the firefighters and volunteers, the former vice president said, “Moments of crisis really do reveal the heroes among us.”
She added, “California firefighters, time and time again, prove themselves to be the best at the kind of work that is about dealing with these moments of unprecedented crisis and doing it with extraordinary courage and sacrifice.”
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