London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 16, 2026

Kamala Harris criticized for wiping hand after handshake with SoKo president

Vice President Kamala Harris is taking heat after a video emerged appearing to show her wipe her hand on her jacket after greeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House last Friday.

Harris talked with the South Korean leader about the alliance between the two countries, the dangers posed by North Korea and the “root causes” of immigration shortly before he met with President Biden.

Following their joint press conference, the two shook hands, and she can be seen wiping her hand on her jacket after she pulls her hand away.

Netizens took note, calling the move “disrespectful” and “embarrassing.”

“This is the USA VP? Not only disrespectful, but it would be ‘racist’ if this was a Republican, all over the news for sure…Double standards on full display,” posted Twitter user GoddoG_668.

Another noted: ​”​Kamala Harris insults the South Korean President Moon Jae-in by wiping her hand off after shaking his hand.”

D​ Gibson on Twitter said if former President Donald Trump had wiped his hand after greeting a world leader, the story would have topped news shows.​​

“​Let’s get one thing straight. This isn’t a high school function where no one is watching the students. If #45 had done this, Sweet Lord Have Mercy… it would have been the lead story on every liberal media station for a month, if not longer​,” the posting said.

“@VP​ ​Kamala Harris does a hand wipe after shaking hands with SK President Moon!​,” said user @F_O_R_D_NATION.​ “​Wow! That’s so embarrassing!​”​

Vice President Kamala Harris speaking with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on May 21, 2021.


But Harris had her defenders, too.

“That’s not even close to the gesture people perform when wiping their hands on their clothing. That’s just a normal woman’s self conscious smoothing of her outfit,” posted Missy Su.

“Maybe his hand was sweaty?” said Karen Shell. “As someone who has hyperhidrosis I’ve gotten used to people wiping their hands. I don’t blame them and don’t find it offensive, only embarrassing.”​

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Reform UK Unveils Plan to Cut Welfare Spending by More Than £50 Billion a Year
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Praised Extinction Rebellion for Doing a 'Great Service'
UK Wildfire Phone Alert Triggers Backlash as Users Switch Off Emergency Warnings
Heathrow Roads Reopen After Burst Water Main Floods Access to Terminals 2 and 3
Former NBA Players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White Say They Will Enter 2027 WNBA Draft
Italian Speed Camera Issues Nearly 32,000 Fines in 10 Weeks, Worth More Than €3 Million
Former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Found Dead Days After Resigning Amid Plagiarism Row
US Appeals Court Rules AI Agent's Website Actions Are Legally Attributed to the User
France's Constitutional Council Blocks Social Media Ban for Children Under 15
Liechtenstein Changes Royal Succession Rules to Allow Women to Inherit the Throne
Women Allege Rape and Sexual Abuse at British Army College for Teenage Recruits
Minnesota: Two independent investigators posed as Muslims (one wearing a burqa) and showed how they could vote in elections without identification.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Takes Regional Tour to Highlight Local Infrastructure and Environmental Problems
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
Bank of England Warns Rising Inflation Could Squeeze UK Household Incomes
UK Government Announces £65 Million Aid Package for Farmers Hit by Severe Drought
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Energy Market Pressures
UK Issues Emergency Alert as Severe Wildfires Spread Across England and Wales
UK and Finland Discuss European Defence and Continued Support for Ukraine
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
UK Government Deploys Military to Help Fight Wildfires and Bans Disposable Barbecues
UK Records Hottest Day of the Year as Fifth Summer Heatwave Peaks in Southern England
UK Condemns Houthi Actions and Warns of Red Sea Threat to Global Trade
UK and Solomon Islands Open Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Honiara
UK Small Businesses Face Continued Cash Flow and Tax Pressures
Greatham Marsh Restoration Restores Tidal Wetland in Hartlepool After More Than 200 Years
UK Health Regulator Urges University Students to Check Meningitis and Measles Vaccination Status
Mining Remediation Authority Completes Major Ground Stabilization Works in Scottish Community
UK Food Crime Investigators Seize 33 Tonnes of Illegal Food in Multi-Agency Operation
Technical Qualification Uptake Hits Record High as Advanced Mathematics Results Improve
UK Summer Temperatures on Course to Challenge Long-Standing Records, Met Office Says
UK Farmers Bring Forward Cereal Harvests as Drought Threatens Yields
Wildfires Surge Across England and Wales as Fire Chiefs Report Record July
UK Nurses Warn of Heat Risks as Hospital Staff Struggle With Extreme Temperatures
Southern Water Seeks Drought Order for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Amid Water Shortages
UK Heatwave Pushes West London Temperature to 38.1 Degrees as Health Alerts Continue
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Global Uncertainty
China’s Kimi Launches AI-Focused Credit Card With Agricultural Bank of China and American Express
UK Residents Gather to Watch Rare Partial Solar Eclipse
Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice Faces Criticism Over Legal Threat Against Guardian Journalist
Michael Forsyth Elected Speaker of the House of Lords
Cambridge Researchers Launch £20 Million Human Organoid Drug Testing Programme
Heathrow Loses European Passenger Traffic Lead to Istanbul Airport
Households Near New UK Electricity Pylons to Receive £250 Annual Energy Bill Discount
UK Government Estimates Zero-Hours Contract Ban Could Cost Employers Up to £3 Billion a Year
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
UK Police Chiefs Urge Government to Block Early Release of Andrew Harper Killers
UK Government Holds Emergency Cobra Meeting as Drought and Heatwave Raise Wildfire Risks
Former Labour Adviser Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China Held Privileged Access as Top Party Donor
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
×