One of the strangest moments in Joe Biden’s second State of the Union address to Congress Tuesday night was when his wife, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, walked over to her seat in the rostrum and was reunited with Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Pushing her way through the applauding guests, Dr. Biden took the second gentleman’s hand before the two shared a friendly kiss, whereupon the first lady slipped past Mr. Emhoff and shook hands with Irish rock star Bono and Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is recovering after being recently attacked in her home by an intruder.
The New York Post has since described this brief moment as a “welcome sight” adding that “no one in the immediate area seemed surprised by the kiss.”
However, that wasn’t the case on social media, where footage of the C-Span and Fox moment went viral, prompting enthusiastic conservative commentators to turn it into a federal case.
“Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff greet each other with… a kiss on the lips? Is this normal?” Daily Wire editor Cabot Phillips asked in surprise after sharing the clip on Twitter.
“ARE U KIDDING ME? In front of God and country! Who does? Doris Gentry was furious, former deputy mayor of Napa, Calif., apparently.
The Daily Mail has since covered the matter in all capital letters (“Jill Biden appears to be kissing Doug Emhoff on the LIPS…”), while a blue check account calling itself “Not El Chapo” claimed Mr. Emhoff generally shows little affection for his wife, but “Dr. Jill practically slips her tongue”: “What…is…going on…?”
Other memes have tagged the “West Swing” kissing rehearsal or put it into the classic Marvin Gaye song “Let’s Get It On.”
Angry Staffer brought some necessary sobriety to the feverish atmosphere of the debate, commenting: “The Republican Party is having a collective heart attack because Jill Biden kissed Doug Emhoff on the lips. If you need more testing, everyone has mommy issues.”
In the wake of this moment, President Biden dutifully delivered what turned out to be a very combative speech addressing the major concerns facing America right now. He championed the economic recovery and legislative record of his own administration before taking down troublesome Republicans.
