Lip reader decodes Jill Biden’s icy comment to Kamala Harris during reunion at Dick Cheney's funeral
WASHINGTON, DC: A lip reader has decoded the exchange between Kamala Harris and Jill Biden during Dick Cheney’s funeral, marking their first reunion since the former vice presdient released her memoir '107 Days'. Photos of Harris and Jill talking while former President Joe Biden greeted others quickly went viral.
The Bidens’ initial greeting with Harris seemed brief, as former President George W Bush and former first lady Laura Bush arrived at Washington National Cathedral to deliver the eulogy on Thursday, November 20.
What did Jill Biden say to Kamala Harris at the funeral?
Lip reader Nicola Hickling revealed that former President Joe Biden said, “Nice to see you, Kamala,” after Harris got his attention.
Jill then added, “He wasn’t ignoring you.” Harris replied, according to the lip reader, “I know he wasn't, I was thinking you're going to look at me, but he didn't.”
A source familiar with the scene disputed the lip reader’s account, saying the Bidens and Harris had a “friendly and warm conversation.”
At the end of the funeral, the Bidens and Harris were seen saying their goodbyes before leaving the front pew of the ornate cathedral.
Body language expert weighs in on Jill Biden and Kamala Harris’ conversation
Body language expert Judi James said Jill Biden and Kamala Harris appeared to have a friendly conversation, but their “non-verbal cues here did suggest some underlying conflict beneath the display of warmth.”
James noted that “Jill's gesticulation included a pointed finger, which can often be seen as a mimed ‘attack’ of sorts and it was telling that Kamala responded in kind, raising her own index finger to engage in a mimed ‘duel,’ with Jill pointing and Kamala pointing back.”
She added that while both women wore “very polite social smiles” during their chat, they showed “pursed lips” while watching the service, "a gesture that can suggest a degree of disapproval or discomfort."
Kamala Harris criticized the Bidens in her book ‘107 Days’
In her latest memoir '107 Days', Kamala Harris openly criticized the Bidens and shared private conversations with the former first couple.
She described an incident at the White House Fourth of July celebration in 2024, just days after Biden’s difficult debate with Donald Trump, when Jill confronted former second gentleman Doug Emhoff.
Harris wrote that Jill “demanded” of Emhoff, “Are you supporting us?” The encounter left Harris’ husband frustrated.
"They hide you away for four years, give you impossible, s**t jobs, don’t correct the record when those tasks are mischaracterised, never fight back when you’re attacked, never praise your accomplishments, and now, finally, they want you out there on that balcony, standing right beside them," Emhoff told Harris, as per the book.
"Now, finally, they know you are an asset, and they need you to reassure the American people, and still, they have to ask if we’re loyal," Harris wrote, quoting Emhoff.
Emhoff skipped Cheney’s funeral, avoiding what could have been an awkward reunion.
