Kamala Harris Praised On Social Media For ‘Power Move’ Of Forcing Trump To Shake Her Hand At Presidential Debate

Vice President Kamala Harris was praised on social media for forcing President Donald Trump to shake her hand as they took the stage at the presidential debate.

While they stepped onto the stage on Tuesday night, marking the first time they met face-to-face, Trump headed to his lectern, and Harris walked across the stage. After a brief moment of hesitation, she offered her hand.

“Kamala Harris,” the vice president stated while shaking the former president’s hand. “Let’s have a good debate.”

“Nice to see you,” Trump replied, shaking her hand and adding, “Have fun.”

They then thanked each other after they had finished shaking hands. Harris received praise from X users, some of whom believed that her action of shaking Trump’s hand was a bold move.

“Kamala Harris going for the handshake is a power move,” the attorney Aaron Parnas wrote in an X post.

“Nice power move on Kamala’s part. She walked over to his podium to shake his hand,” user @Amerita stated on X. “Subtle show of dominance.”

“He tried to avoid her, but she hunted him down in his own territory and made him shake hands,” another user, @LucasVidler, declared on X. “She displayed maturity and dominance.”

In August, more than 200 alumni from previous Republican campaigns endorsed Harris for president in an open letter, adding to the increasing support of Republicans for Harris. 

Staff members had signed the letter with roles ranging from chief of staff to intern who worked for Republican leaders like President George H.W. Bush, former President George W. Bush, Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah).