Biden Administration April 28, 2021

Photo Of The Day: Kamala Harris & Nancy Pelosi

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 28: U.S. President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of congress as Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and Speaker of the House U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (R) look on in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol April 28, 2021 in Washington, DC. On the eve of his 100th day in office, Biden spoke about his plan to revive America’s economy and health as it continues to recover from a devastating pandemic. He delivered his speech before 200 invited lawmakers and other government officials instead of the normal 1600 guests because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

This is history. For the first time, two women sat behind the president on the dais of the House Chamber as he addressed a joint session of Congress.

VP Harris and Speaker Pelosi share an elbow bump ahead of Pres. Biden’s first congressional address. This will be the first time two women stand behind the president as he addresses Congress pic.twitter.com/tdBanSlUnK
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 29, 2021

The president acknowledged the significance of this image before he began his speech.

"Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President. No president has ever said those words from this podium and it's about time," Pres. Joe Biden says, marking the historic nature of the #JointSession of Congress. https://t.co/SdX0l7t69B pic.twitter.com/tvyMHGvBTJ
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) April 29, 2021

CBS News spoke with former California Senator Barbara Boxer about this moment. She once served alongside Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in the House, and when she retired, Vice President Kamala Harris filled her Senate seat. She said seeing this image was “going to be very emotional for me.”

“It says a lot about country, and a lot about Joe Biden, and it says certainly a lot about both of the women who have made it to that place.”

I asked VP Harris what the significance of two women being seated behind the president tonight is: “Normal” she turned and said.
— Allison Pecorin (@AllisonMPecorin) April 29, 2021

Thinking about how countless young girls will watch two women stand behind the President during a joint address tonight and think, “Anything is possible.” And they’ll be right.
— Tammy Duckworth (@TammyDuckworth) April 29, 2021

This isn’t the first time Pelosi has made history for sitting at the same podium.

Bush acknowledged this by beginning his speech with: "Tonight, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of my own as the first president to begin the State of the Union message with these words: Madam Speaker."
— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) April 26, 2021

And who can forget this moment after Donald Trump’s final State of the Union?

As President Trump’s State of the Union speech ended, Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of his address, capping a decidedly chilly confrontation between the two https://t.co/DtHZIJVkGt pic.twitter.com/kTWqBfw0rR
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 5, 2020