"At first glance, Vance and Kirk do look a little too familiar in the photos-why does he have his hands on her hips? Why does she have her hands in his hair? When paired with a quote from Erika Kirk that also circulated widely that day, about how she saw some similarities between her late husband and Vance ( "no one will ever replace Charlie, but ... "), it didn't look great for either party."
"I'm guessing some of the people who got to work speculating about whether there was something romantic between Vance and Kirk didn't bother to watch any video footage of the moment captured in the photos. Fair enough-and it's not like I watched with noble intentions. I freely admit I hit play hoping for something scandalous. Based on those pictures, I was expecting something along the lines of that time Michael Jackson kissed Lisa Marie Presley on stage at the Video Music Awards."
Internet commentators and rumormongers fixated on photos of Vice President JD Vance and Erika Kirk sharing a warm onstage greeting at a Turning Point USA event. The images suggested intimacy, prompting questions about hands on hips and hair. Video footage shows a fleeting embrace: Vance briefly touched Kirk’s hips as he pulled away and Kirk grabbed his head, all lasting seconds. A circulating quote about replacing Charlie referred to Vance standing in for Charlie while debating students, making that line misleading in context. The visual stills and out-of-context quotation fueled unfounded romantic speculation.
Read at Slate Magazine
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