The husband of Sen. Deb Fischer (R.-Neb.), Bruce Fischer, seemingly refused to shake Vice President Kamala Harris’ hand during his wife’s ceremonial swearing-in last week — and body language experts think the entire exchange might be quite telling.
The moments before and after the senator was sworn in for her third term sparked a lot of chatter online. In case you missed the controversial exchange, captured on C-Span cameras, Deb Fischer walked up to Harris, who was administering the oath to senators, and greeted her. Fischer can then be seen signaling to her husband, who had walked up behind her, to stand closer to the vice president, but he appeared reluctant to do so.
“It’s OK, I won’t bite,” Harris told Bruce Fischer. “I’m not going to bite. Don’t worry.”
He mostly gazed down as his wife was being sworn in. And when Harris held out her hand to congratulate him, he said, “Thank you” — without shaking the vice president’s hand and while barely making eye contact.
People on X, formerly Twitter, quickly started speculating about what seemed like an icy moment. While many people are simply not comfortable in public or find interpersonal encounters challenging, some commenters pointed out the visibly warmer behavior Bruce Fischer had exhibited in past ceremonies when his wife was sworn in. Many charged that his conduct toward Harris reeked of racist and sexist behavior.
Others pointed out that the senator’s husband was holding a cane in one hand and momentarily holding a Bible in the other, so a handshake might have been difficult for him. People have also suggested that a recent illnessor impairment of some kind might have affected his conduct or made it difficult for him to use his hand.
When asked about the criticism her husband had received over not shaking Harris’ hand, Deb Fischer told HuffPost, “My husband uses a cane.”
Body language experts think theremight be a lot to take away from the interaction. After all, handshakes are “incredibly revealing” and serve as an “important social interaction,” Denise M. Dudley, a psychologist and author of “Making Relationships Last,” told HuffPost.
“A handshake triggers a whole bunch of stuff in our brains,” she said, pointing out that handshakes can encompass visual, tactile and auditory components.
“They say whether or not we’re confident and comfortable, whether we like or dislike the person we’re shaking hands with, and what kind of relationship we’re anticipating with the other person,” she continued.
Read on to hear what experts had to say about the exchange between Bruce Fischer and Harris.
What did experts think of Bruce Fischer’s body language?
Dudley said that she can’t exactly pin Bruce Fischer’s behavior on the reasons people have speculated about, but that judging by his body language alone, it seemed “very clear” he didn’t want to stand near the vice president. She said his facial expressions became “even more glum and unfriendly,” and his “body language was stiff and uncomfortable” as his wife motioned to him to stand closer to Harris.
“He projected [a total] dislike of Harris, and a complete distaste for his task, since it meant having to stand near her,” she said, later adding, “He avoids eye contact in moments when it would be completely natural, as well as minimally necessary (even among adversaries).”
Patti Wood, a body language and nonverbal communication expert and author of “SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma,” told HuffPost that shedoesn’t believe Bruce Fischer was “spontaneously snubbing” Harris, but that he appeared “fearful” of engaging or being seen as aligned in any way with the vice president.
“Overall, he appears a bit fragile,” she said, adding that the senator had to “direct him with a loud command.”
“[Bruce Fischer] freezes in place behind her and does not naturally move closer to VP Harris into the correct position,” she continued, adding, “He is not just being rude; there is something more going on because he is first frozen head-down, so he does not have to make natural eye contact acknowledgment.”
What did the VP’s quip — that she doesn’t “bite” — portray?
Karen Donaldson, a communication and body language expert, told HuffPost that Harris’ joke was a tactic meant to “defuse a tense situation.”
She added that Harris’ response was “appropriate,” considering the interaction between her andBruce Fischer.
Wood said that Harris tried to make light of the “extremely awkward” moment and did not show any anger.
“But she does let out a deep breath after this, releasing her tension when he still does not look at her,” she said.
Dudley praised Harris for being a “class act” and also commended Deb Fischer for how she handled the moment.
“That’s how political adversaries should act: with a semblance of empathy, grace, and professionalism,” she said.
Body language expert Blanca Cobb told HuffPost that while Harris’ tone and body language appeared “warm and welcoming” as she tried to make Bruce Fischer “more comfortable,” the senator’s husband “may have felt that her comment drew unwanted or unappreciated attention to his hesitation, which could have embarrassed or unsettled him.”
What might the handshake-less moment between Harris and Bruce Fischer reveal?
Cobb agreed with some of the online commentary there are other possible explanations for why Bruce Fischer didn’t shake the vice president’s hand: Perhaps he had difficulty simultaneously holding a cane and a Bible, or he didn’t appreciate Harris’ joke that she doesn’t “bite.”
Regardless, she pointed out that if the awkward handshake moment was solely due to his physical condition, he could “have shown warmth and friendliness in other ways.”
“He could have nodded, smiled, looked at her, turned his upper body towards her, or said more than ‘thank you,’” she said. “However, from a body language perspective, his failure to substitute another gesture for a handshake or say more than ‘thank you’ leads me to believe that it was more than holding a cane.”
Wood thought that, overall, it was “odd” that the senator’s husband “does not show any joy, happiness, or engagement with his wife’s swearing-in, and his body language stays down and depressed.”
“He shows anger on his face when Harris offers her hand to shake,” she said. “Then he nods his head up and down TWICE with ferocity and says loudly, ‘Thank you.’”
She said that generally speaking, handshakes are a “bonding ritual,” and that Bruce Fischer’s “not making eye contact and refusing the offer of a handshake” shows disrespect toward the vice president.
Donaldson explained that body language is often read in “clusters,” which means various gestures are read at the same time.
Bruce Fischer’s lack of eye contact while simultaneously keeping his head down suggests “disinterest and dismissiveness,” she said.
“His upper torso never completely faces Vice President Kamala Harris at any time, especially when she reaches out to give them a handshake,” she later continued.
She added, “At no time does he attempt to make an ‘effort’ to meet her with a reciprocal handshake.”
What are some takeaways from this controversial moment?
Donaldson said that people can draw a lot of different conclusions from the exchanges between Bruce Fischer and Harris, but based on body language alone, she believes it showed Fischer does not “value Kamala Harris as an equal.”
Author and body language expert Traci Brown said that body language can reveal what’s on someone’s mind — but not necessarily why.
“What we know is that he doesn’t want to connect with her in a big public moment,” she said.
She also noted: “Always remember, the body won’t lie.”
While there are many opinions about the uneasy encounter between Bruce Fischer and Harris, the moment has certainly resonated with a lot of people. As President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration nears, the world will likely continue to pay close attention to these interactions in political environments.