CNN’s Jake Tapper observes tensions between Bidens and Kamala Harris at Jimmy Carter’s funeral: ‘I didn’t see a particularly warm greeting’

CNN anchor Jake Tapper couldn’t help but notice the icy non-greeting that was exchanged between President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their wives at former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday.

During CNN’s live coverage of the funeral, Tapper noted that he “didn’t see a particularly warm greeting” between the Bidens and Harris, who was accompanied by her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

Cameras trained on the president and first lady as they made their way to their seats in the front pew — where Harris and Emhoff awaited them.

The first lady took her seat next to Harris with nary an acknowledgment or glance toward the vice president and the second gentleman.

The president, who was sitting in an aisle seat, also did not appear to make eye contact with the Emhoffs as he took his seat.

In the moments that followed after the four sat down, they all continued to keep expressionless faces as the memorial service began.

Tapper noted that the solemn occasion may have explained the lack of a greeting between the two couples — although recent reports indicate that post-election bad blood runs deep.

“It’s President Joe Biden and First Lady Joe Biden. And I think he has 11 days left as president of the United States. Obviously an eventful year, one that he didn’t plan for,” Tapper noted. His comments were reported by Mediaite.

A similar scenario played out last month at the 47th Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, where the Bidens did not greet or acknowledge Harris as they entered the Washington, DC venue to a standing ovation.

Just days after the election, the first lady appeared to give Harris the cold shoulder during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Tapper noted that President Biden “started the year as a Democratic presidential candidate, and we all know what happened next.”

Biden was forced out of the race by Democratic Party power brokers after his disastrous debate performance in late June, in which he often failed to form coherent sentences and appeared fragile and forgetful.

Harris was established as the party’s nominee, which initially energized Democratic voters. But she faltered in the later stages of the race.

“Again, you didn’t see a particularly warm greeting between the first couple and the second couple. But then again, we’re at a funeral, so one has to take that into account when trying to read the body language of the individuals there,” Tapper said.

The Post has sought comment from the White House.

A Dec. 30 report in the Wall Street Journal quoted White House insiders as describing relations between the Bidens and the Emhoffs as “strained” after the disastrous Nov. 5 election, which was won by President-elect Donald Trump.

According to the Journal, the first lady was never in love with Harris — especially after the vice president attacked her husband for opposing traffic policies during the 2020 Democratic primary, when the two were vying for the nomination.

Harris aides, for their part, have said Biden stayed in the race too long and that he should have left sooner to give the vice president more time to fix her campaign, according to the Journal.

The president has stubbornly pushed back against widespread views among Democrats that he would have beaten Trump if he had stayed in the race, it has been reported.

Representatives of the White House denied that there was a rift between the first and second couple.

Biden and Harris “are focused on delivering as many additional results for working families as they can while completing the most innovative record of any modern administration,” Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, told the Journal.

Bates added that Biden “isn’t spending his time rehashing the election or engaging in counterfactuals.”