Who did First Lady Jill Biden kiss at the State of the Union, and why are people freaking out about it?

In American political culture, few if any ever remember what is said at the regular State of the Union address given by whomever is president. No one recalls now-former President Richard Nixon proposing a very liberal healthcare reform policy package, but, people do remember the meme-worthy moments. There was the guy who shouted “you lie!” at former President Barack Obama, and, last night First Lady Jill Biden added to this “rich-ish” history by embracing someone who is not her husband in a tender way.

For those who did not watch the event (and there are a lot of you, to be clear) Biden kissed Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff on the lips before taking her seat in the gallery ahead of President Joe Biden beginning his address. Emhoff is the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris and, as there are so few pictures of Harris and Emhoff kissing that pictures of Emhoff and Biden’s lip lock show up when you search for them on Google, right-wing commentators and outlets have had a field day and hot jokes are rising.

Outlets like Fox News are posting the above and others are saying the White House has a “West Swing” vibe to it now. It is worth noting those in the crowd did not appear to be phased by the moment and, while people often speculate on the personal relationships of those at the top of America’s political power structure, most of the recent couples have stayed together even as rumors have swirled. Speculation on the relationship of the Clintons has been rife for years, similar sentiment is often cooked up for the Obamas, and the Trumps going their separate ways is something critics of the Republican couple dream deeply about.

As well, it may also be the case that to the two families it is just not a big deal. In many cultures such a thing is moreso a common greeting and in the Middle East men frequently kiss each other without anyone raising the idea of them secretly being members of the LGBTQ+ community. There are real photos of former President George W. Bush kissing former Saudi King Abdullah (odd Fox News never got into hysterics about this) and expatriate sites confirm the trend in South Africa, too.

So, while this may be big for now, odds are it will fade from memories with time or be used for tabloid fodder which does not ever end up ringing true. Every presidential couple has their tabloid nonsense, and now it may be time for Jill and President Joe Biden.