Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi script history as they flank Joe Biden at speech, Twitter celebrates
US Vice-President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made history on Wednesday as the first women to be seated on the rostrum as US President Joe Biden delivered his first speech to a joint session of Congress. The historic event created a huge buzz online with people expressing their joy and delight at the powerful image.
As Biden addressed a joint session of Congress — completing 100 days in office, he highlighted extraordinary development at the very opening of his address. After taking the podium, Biden greeted the two women standing behind him with a “Madam Speaker” and “Madam Vice President.”
“No president has ever said those words — and it’s about time,” the 46th US President said as he delivered his first prime-time speech to a joint session of Congress. And he was not alone in cheering for the two amazing leaders paving the way for new political tradition in the country.
“Madam Speaker. Madam Vice President. No president has ever said those words from this podium. No president has ever said those words. And it’s about time.”
President Joe Biden kicked off his first joint session of Congress with VP Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. pic.twitter.com/ytpCTbz5vh
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) April 29, 2021
Many rooting for the Pelosi and Harris, two California Democrats, said they never imagined they would witness this beautiful sight. Photos of the two beginning the night with an elbow-bump, replacing the traditional handshake amid the pandemic, is now going viral.
.@VP Harris and @SpeakerPelosi elbow bump pic.twitter.com/MppNX3AIGc
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) April 29, 2021
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The first, but not the last. #JointAddress
— Natalie Montelongo (@natimontelongo) April 29, 2021
How it started: How it’s going: pic.twitter.com/eMgFsOL2z4
— Grant Stern is half-vaccinated (@grantstern) April 29, 2021
And sometime soon, we can hope for the potential for all three to be women, as they have so often all three been men. @Arizona_List @emilyslist #JointAddress https://t.co/vAX5ZAhDXV
— Rep. Mitzi Epstein (@MitziEpstein) April 29, 2021
Women. Lead. pic.twitter.com/LbbgrpcJC1
— Maya Wiley (@mayawiley) April 29, 2021
I didn’t. Because I was weeping from the moment I saw Nancy and Kamala on the dais.
— RVAMidlo (@RMidlo) April 29, 2021
You gotta admit. It is so cool seeing Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris up there sitting at the head of the Chamber. I love it.
— James McPartland (@wingdigit) April 29, 2021
Ok, admittedly I teared up a bit seeing Kamala and Nancy on the dais. I never ever thought I would see it in my lifetime.
— Char (@pnwrunnerlass) April 29, 2021
My daughters, and daughters in law will tell their little girls of a day such as today.
— A day of days. https://t.co/OnKGrLZKbi pic.twitter.com/r6lUJnZZ7H— Angel Davila (@DavilaAngelsd1) April 29, 2021
This makes me so happy.
I had to stop myself from taking a photo of the TV with the two women behind the President. Amazing.— Dara Linthwaite (@DaraSings) April 29, 2021
Someday this will be normal. For today, we celebrate.
— Grammy Nance-🐝kind (@RedRocky31) April 29, 2021
Regardless of what you feel about VP Kamala Harris or Speaker Nancy Pelosi politically, on some level, you must take notice that this represents America at its very grandest. pic.twitter.com/RvcT7cHldA
— James Buchanan (@POTUS_15) April 29, 2021
Madame Speaker Nancy Pelosi AND Madame Vice President Kamala Harris. Wow. This is a moment. Can y’all drop my comfort characters 🥺
— Farrah Renfroe ✨|| Black Lives Still Matter (@calliesxwife) April 29, 2021
#JointAddress — being able to see Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi standing together side by side is incredibly inspiring to me as a young girl. amazing. 🙂
— mari ♬🦋 (@mariiiarielle) April 29, 2021
You don’t have to support their politics to appreciate how many CENTURIES it has taken in America to see this-get to this point for WOMEN https://t.co/gfuLg4HSem
— Krys Marie (@surf_witch) April 29, 2021
HISTORY! Long overdue!! VP Kamala Harris and Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the Congress. ♥️♥️♥️ pic.twitter.com/3QfoxMxs9b
— Rick (@colonelhogans) April 29, 2021
Great progress! Just need a woman in the front 💪 #PresidentialAddress @VP @TeamPelosi #KamalaHarris #NancyPelosi pic.twitter.com/lNdBwQUXMk
— Tanya (@tanya_az2) April 29, 2021
Pelosi, 81, had made history by becoming the first female House speaker during Republican President George W Bush’s presidency. He acknowledged the moment by noting during his address to Congress after Pelosi’s election that he had the privilege of being the first president to open with the words “madam speaker.”
Harris, made history last year when she became the first woman and first Black and Indian-origin person to be elected as vice-president. In her role as president of the Senate, she joins Pelosi to preside over the joint session of Congress.
[With inputs from AP]