Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress as Kamala Harris and House Nancy Pelosi listen (AFP)
When US President Joe Biden began delivering his maiden speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, he started with "Madam Speaker. Madam Vice President". This received rousing applause, as the moment was historic. Behind Mr Biden stood two women - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice-President Kamala Harris - creating history. "No President has ever said those words from this podium," said Joe Biden, adding, "And it's about time." He then turned around and applauded as the chamber, First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff joined him in the ovation.
While Nancy Pelosi has been witness to previous presidential speeches from this position, it was the first time for Kamala Harris, the country's first-ever woman vice-president. And the historic moment was celebrated on Twitter as well.
Activist and writer Charlotte Clymer posted a photograph of the two women leaders and wrote, "Madam Vice President. Madam Speaker. My goodness, what an image."
Gerry Connolly, the US representative from Virginia, also shared an image of Ms Pelosi and Ms Harris smiling and bumping elbows with each other. He wrote, "Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President...History made."
Tara Setmayer, a former CNN political commentator, too, quoted President Biden and said, "Representation matters."
Take a look at some other reactions to the historic speech:
In November 2020, Joe Biden won the presidency after a bitter election campaign against Donald Trump and promised to unify a deeply divided country. Kamala Harris became the first woman, the first Black and the first American of Asian descent to serve as vice-president. Ms Pelosi and Ms Harris are first and second, respectively, in the presidential line of succession.
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