The ceremonial swearing-in of new senators is normally a perfunctory part of the start of a new Congress, a ritual orchestrated to showcase courtesy and camaraderie as even political rivals smile together for family photos.
That’s how it unfolded six years ago, when Senator Deb Fischer, a low-key Republican from Nebraska, was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence, and her husband, Bruce, thanked him for his service.
The same thing had happened six years before that, when it was a Democrat administering the oath; the couple both warmly shook hands with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
But this year, when it was Vice President Kamala Harris doing the job, things were chillier.
On Friday, Mr. Fischer, who stood beside his wife holding the Bible on which she swore her oath, appeared to snub Ms. Harris by declining to shake her hand or even make eye contact with her afterward.
Footage of the awkward interaction circulated widely online, with Democrats accusing Mr. Fischer of being racist, sexist and disrespectful of Ms. Harris, and MAGA commenters defending him.
A spokeswoman for Ms. Fischer did not respond to a request for comment. A spokeswoman for Ms. Harris declined to comment.
But the reactions underscored anew how even the most basic interpersonal interactions in Washington these days are scrutinized for signs of the passions and hostilities between members of opposing parties that lie barely beneath the surface. The awkward exchange between Ms. Harris and Mr. Fischer came on a day that was, in its own way, trying for the vice president, who was carrying out her duties after losing the presidency and getting ready to leave office altogether, her own future unclear.
The whole thing was captured by C-SPAN cameras in the Old Senate Chamber.
After administering the oath to Ms. Fischer and shaking her hand, Ms. Harris turned to Mr. Fischer and said, “Congratulations to you,” holding out a hand.
“Thank you,” he said, gazing down without looking her in the eye as she stands with her arm outstretched. She then pulled back, raised her eyebrows and cringed slightly before turning and plastering on a rictus smile for the photo.
The frostiness began before the vice president read the oath, when Ms. Fischer introduced her husband and positioned him next to Ms. Harris to hold the Bible for her. He appeared so reluctant to stand close to the vice president that she commented.
“It’s OK, I won’t bite. I’m not going to bite, don’t worry,” Ms. Harris said.
Brian Tyler Cohen, a political commentator, posted a video of the interaction online and said it demonstrated “the level of class you can expect from MAGA.”
Qondi Ntini, a content creator, wrote online that “we will stop talking about race when people stop doing things like this.”
Republicans, however, jumped to the Fischers’ defense. Unlike four years ago with Mr. Pence or eight years earlier with Mr. Biden, they noted, Bruce Fischer was holding a cane in his right hand on Friday, in addition to the Bible he held in his left. They dismissed the entire controversy as an attempt by the left to smear the spouse of a senator. Some even criticized Ms. Harris for attempting a shake hands with someone holding a cane.
Despite the strange moment with the Fischers, Ms. Harris’ interactions with senators and their family members on Friday were mostly cordial, with some poignant moments sprinkled in.
“I’m sorry you didn’t win,” the son of Senator Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona, told her.
“You know what, sweetheart?” she responded, giving him a hug. “Don’t you worry about it, because there’s still so much work to do.”
And if Mr. Fischer’s was the coldest reception she received from the Republican side of the aisle, the one she got from the daughters of Senator David McCormick, Republican of Pennsylvania, was perhaps the warmest.
Mr. McCormick arrived for his swearing-in with six daughters and stepdaughters from his blended family. (Ms. Harris was wide-eyed when they told her that two of them were named Ava.) The young women appeared excited to meet Ms. Harris, acting like fan girls as they whispered, giggled and lingered to get their own picture with her, after asking their parents to exit the frame.
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