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Social Media Mocks Rubio After Photo Emerges Showing Awkward Hug With Ivanka Trump [Photo]

By JohnThomas Didymus
Published on: 15:00 PST, Jun 20, 2017

Social media reacted with hilarity and derision to a photo showing an awkward encounter between Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla) and Ivanka Trump on Tuesday morning at the Capitol. The photo shows Rubio attempting, awkwardly, to give a much taller Ivanka a hug after she arrived at the Capitol for a meeting with Rubio and other lawmakers to discuss a proposal to grant mandatory paid family leave.

When Senator Rubio saw Ivanka entering the Capitol Building, he walked toward her with a big smile on his face, reaching out for a hug. But Ivanka stood straight and rigid, with her arms by her side. The photo, taken by Associated Press (AP) congressional reporter Erica Werner, captured the awkward moment that Rubio, flashing a big smile, tried to hug Ivanka, who appeared to stand rigid and unresponsive.

Social media erupted with hilarity when the photo emerged online, with many viewers poking fun at Rubio. But as The Hill noted, no video of the moment emerged online, thus, it is unclear how accurately the still shot reflected the interaction between the two in the moments Rubio went for a hug. But that did not stop Twitter users from mocking Rubio, with many comparing the moment to the recent incident when Jerry Seinfeld refused to hug Kesha.

The image caused other social media users to recall Rubio’s “robotic” debate performance during his failed 2016 presidential campaign. However, Rubio and Ivanka were later seen chatting as they walked together to the meeting in the Capitol Building. Rubio also later responded to the mockery on social media with a series of tweets (see below).

Rubio, a former campaign rival of President Donald Trump, had invited some lawmakers, including Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), to meet with him and Ivanka to talk about their push for a paid family leave and child tax credit policy. Earlier in the year, Senator Fischer had introduced a bill that proposed to grant tax credits to companies that offer their employees paid family leave, while Senator Rubio had proposed granting paid family leave during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Ivanka has also shown a lot of interest in the issue of paid family leave and child tax credit. She reportedly lobbied her father to support the push for six weeks of mandatory paid family leave.

Analysts have also noted that since the acrimonious rivalry between Donald Trump and Marco Rubio during the presidential campaign period, Rubio has been working more closely with the Trump family. Rubio and Ivanka’s common interest in a paid family leave policy brought them together.

The close relationship between the Trump family and Rubio is also due partly to Trump’s recent move to reverse President Barack Obama’s policy of easing restrictions in trade and travel between Cuba and the U.S. Rubio is a Cuban-American from Miami whose parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1956, just before Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. Like many Cuban-Americans who immigrated to the U.S. to escape the Castro regime, Rubio supports a hard-line stance, ostensibly to force the overthrow of the Castro regime in Cuba.

While on the campaign trail last February, Trump had attacked Rubio, calling him “Little Marco.”

“I watched a part of his little act and he’s a desperate guy. He’s a nervous nelly,” Trump said.

“I watched him backstage. He’s a mess. I’ve never seen a human being sweat like this man sweats.”

Rubio had responded to Trump’s taunting, calling him “Big Donald with the little hands.”

[Featured Image by Erica Werner/AP Photo]

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