Politician PDA Moments That Will Make You Cringe

The political landscape in every country is fascinating, but it's especially fascinating in the United States thanks to our unique system and (somewhat) continuous rotation of new faces. We've got political dynasties like the Kennedys and the Bushes. We've got senators who've been serving since Ronald Reagan was in office working with representatives who can barely remember the 1990s. There's even a small subset of politicians with a strange past of age-gap relationships. Politics in the United States are a lot of things, but they're not boring.

While American politics might not be boring, they're often cringe-worthy, and we're not talking about the proposed policies (though plenty of those are cringe-worthy, too). Many of the people who make our policies every day also have histories of cringe-worthy behavior, whether it's awkward gaffes they've uttered or meme-able acts they've committed. Many of them also have histories of awkward public displays of affection — ones that will make even those with the strongest stomachs squirm. Here are some politician PDA moments that will make you cringe.

In October 2024, just months before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, he and his wife, Cheryl Hines, were seen kissing while at a memorial dinner. Onlookers also spotted Hines stroking RFK Jr.'s face, the interactions signaling that all was okay between the spouses. While the PDA itself wasn't particularly cringe-worthy, the circumstances the two were interacting under made their public affection seem forced and performative. Just weeks prior, RFK Jr. had been accused of exchanging text messages that were sexual in nature with New York Magazine's former Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi.

The scandal allegedly took a toll on RFK Jr.'s relationship with Cheryl Hines. As a source told People in early October, "[Hines is] embarrassed because he got caught." Things didn't work out so well for Nuzzi, either. In September of that year, New York Magazine shared that Nuzzi had disclosed the nature of her relationship with RFK Jr., and in result she was put on leave. "Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign," New York Magazine shared in a statement, with later communication sharing that Nuzzi was no longer working for the outlet. Later reports regarding RFK Jr. and Hines stated that Hines had issued her husband an ultimatum following the scandal, and at RFK Jr.'s 2025 confirmation hearing, the two were back to kissing in public.

Colorado representative Lauren Boebert made quite a stir in 2023 when it was reported that she had been escorted by security out of the Buell Theatre in Denver after vaping and disturbing other guests during a performance of "Beetlejuice." Video surveillance showed Boebert and her group leaving the theater, though it didn't show what had happened to cause her exit. In a post shared to X, Boebert initially denied any wrongdoing, aside from "laughing and singing too loud," but her defense didn't last long as further footage from the evening was released, and proved to be much more cringe-worthy than just vaping in an enclosed space and singing during a performance. Boebert and her guest had also been caught groping each other during the musical.

After the second round of video footage was released, Boebert apologized for her actions, stating that she did not remember behaving that way. "While none of my actions or words as a private citizen that night were intended to be malicious or meant to cause harm, the reality is they did and I regret that," her statement read, per The Colorado Sun. "I simply fell short of my values on Sunday," she added, noting that she and her family had been struggling at the time as she had filed for divorce from her ex-husband just months prior to the incident. The event made the rounds in pop culture so much that even 50 Cent put Lauren Boebert on blast for her theater scandal.

Donald Trump's relationship with his wife, Melania Trump, has been questioned by many people since its start. The two have a significant age gap, and particularly at the beginning of their marriage, many speculated that Melania was only with Donald for his money. Such speculation has only been fueled over the years by very awkward moments of PDA, much of it happening on the campaign trail and throughout Donald's first term as president. Donald's second presidential term started just as strong — in terms of cringe-worthy moments of PDA, that is. 

On Inauguration Day in 2025, for example, Donald and Melania were seen sharing an air kiss on stage during Donald's swearing in. It appeared that Donald was trying to kiss Melania on the cheek, but because of her wide-brim hat, he was unable to reach her face, resulting in an awkward air kiss that didn't seem to please Melania much.

The term of awkward air kisses continued. That same year, the couple celebrated Independence Day by watching fireworks at the White House. Near the end of the holiday, Donald and Melania stood on a balcony at the presidential residence embracing one another. Melania turned her face toward Donald who leaned in for an inexplicable air kiss. Moments later, Donald appeared to give Melania an actual kiss, but it was seemingly on her forehead or her nose, leading people to wonder why the husband and wife routinely share such unusual kisses.

Vice President JD Vance has had several strange occurrences at the Vatican. In April 2025, JD traveled to Rome to meet with Pope Francis. Just one day later, the pope died. And things only got more awkward from there. Weeks later, JD returned to the Vatican with Usha Vance for Pope Leo's first mass as pontiff, and shared some awkward PDA that had people hiding in the pews. In the middle of mass, JD and Usha kissed, which many found not only cringe-worthy but also disrespectful and inappropriate for the setting.

To make matters worse for JD, other people were upset about what he refused to kiss — the Pope's Ring of the Fisherman. JD is Catholic, and it's tradition for Catholics to kiss the pope's ring upon meeting him, but JD did not follow the tradition when meeting Leo. "The protocol is that American presidents and vice presidents do not bow before foreign leaders and do not kiss any rings ... So, no sign of disrespect, but it's important to observe the protocols of the country that I love and that I'm representing and that I serve as vice-president of," JD said in his own defense on an episode of "Interesting Times with Ross Douthat" a few days later. Whether JD was kissing or not kissing, he couldn't keep audiences from cringing during his time at the Vatican.

Barack Obama's friendship with Hillary Clinton got off to a rocky start, and things appear to have remained delicate ever since. The duo first faced off in the 2008 presidential election when both were seeking the Democratic nomination. Of course, Obama secured the nomination and went on to become president, but Clinton remained close with Obama, even serving as secretary of state for the former president's first term. While the two have mostly spoken well of each other publicly, with Clinton supporting Obama's presidential campaign after securing the Democratic nomination and Obama reciprocating when Clinton ran again in 2016, their body language hasn't always suggested that the two are fond of one another.

One of the most uncomfortable interactions between Clinton and Obama came in 2011 when the two hugged each other on stage before a speech. Neither looked like they had hugged anyone before in their lives, nor did they appear happy to be embracing. Another awkward moment of PDA between the sometimes friends came after the State of the Union Address in 2012. The two politicians were in the crowd, and Obama gave Clinton a kiss on the cheek that was all sorts of cringe-worthy and a bit unnecessary given the occasion. The further removed from the 2008 presidential election cycle the two are, the better their relationship seems to be, but there's no denying that the two have had their share of awkward PDA moments.

Most politicians will do anything to get votes, even kissing someone they barely know. In 2000, just before the presidential election, George W. Bush, who was the Republican nominee at the time, went on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to try and secure more votes. Bush began his segment on the show by giving Winfrey a kiss on the cheek. Some audience members wondered why the kiss was necessary, but Winfrey seemed appreciative, thanking him for the kiss after that year's Democratic nominee, Al Gore, had declined to kiss her during his appearance the week prior. After the show, Bush and Winfrey posed for a photo with Bush again kissing Winfrey on the cheek.

The kiss wasn't too awkward for those involved, though. A few years after Bush's time in the White House ended, the politician returned to Winfrey's show for another interview. His message was much different than his first appearance, though — "I'm through with politics. It's hard for people to believe. I'm through," Bush told Winfrey, as reported by Today. The former president also used the interview to promote his memoir, admit to some mistakes he made during his administration, and defend some of his actions that drew criticism. Bush did not, however, defend his awkward kiss from his first Winfrey interview.

Some moments of political PDA are nothing more than awkward blips in history that fall out of society's collective consciousness when the day's news cycle ends. Others, though, are bizarre occurrences that come with loads of implications and political discourse. Unfortunately for Al Gore and his wife, Tipper Gore, at the 2000 Democratic National Convention, their cringe-worthy moment of PDA fell into the latter category. 

At the convention, Al, who was serving as vice president at the time, had just secured the Democratic nomination for the presidential election and went on stage to deliver a speech to the crowd. Al embraced his wife and gave her a kiss, but when she pulled her head back after the appropriate amount of time for such a kiss, Al went in for more, turning the kiss into what momentarily seemed like the beginning of a makeout session. It was uncomfortable and created lots of conversation.

The conversation that followed the Gores' awkward kiss was mostly about just how awkward it was. Why did Al, a seasoned politician, do that? Was he so overcome with excitement over his nomination that he felt it necessary to express it in that way? Others thought the kiss was completely purposeful. Al was serving under Bill Clinton at the time, and some of his actions while president didn't inspire confidence in the American people that he loved his wife. To some, Al's kiss was a message that those same shenanigans wouldn't happen with him in the White House. In the end it didn't matter — Al lost the race to George W. Bush — but the 2000 DNC will always be remembered for Al and Tipper's awkward PDA.

John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry are somewhat of a political power couple. Kerry has served both Massachusetts and the United States in a variety of ways, including as United States Secretary of State under the Obama administration, while Heinz Kerry has advocated for a variety of causes, including women's rights and the environment, throughout her entire career. While Heinz Kerry has seemingly been very supportive of Kerry as he's worked to achieve his political aspirations, she doesn't appear to want the spotlight the way her husband does.

For example, in 2010, Heinz Kerry attended the United Nations Annual Leadership Dinner in New York City with Kerry, but the photographs taken of the two showed much more enthusiasm from Kerry than from Heinz Kerry. In 2013, while Kerry was being sworn in as secretary of state, Heinz Kerry looked as though she was forcing her smile. Heinz Kerry even had a similar expression in 2008 when standing hand-in-hand with Michelle Obama at a campaign rally for Barack Obama. Perhaps Heinz Kerry's lack of verve stems from her husband's own presidential campaign in 2004. That year, Kerry ran against incumbent George W. Bush and lost. While on the campaign trail, Heinz Kerry was caught on camera looking less than thrilled by her husband planting a kiss on her cheek. Sure, the theory is a stretch, but it's hard to refute that the PDA wasn't cringe-worthy.

Some kisses between politicians will make people wonder whether they were really necessary. In 2012, upon welcoming guests to the G8 Summit at Camp David, Barack Obama kissed Angela Merkel, who was serving as Chancellor of Germany at the time. While it was clearly a friendly kiss — not a sign of infidelity on either part — it was still very awkward. A handshake would've been just as effective. But neither Obama nor Merkel seemed fazed by the interaction — the duo were good pals while their duties overlapped. 

"Angela Merkel is one of my closest friends on the world stage, and somebody ... whose partnership I deeply value," Obama said of Merkel a couple of years later, per the Khmer Times. Obama wasn't kidding when he said that he and Merkel were close — the two have exchanged kisses on multiple occasions. In 2013, after Merkel gave a speech in Berlin, Obama kissed her on the cheek, and in 2016, the two exchanged another cheek kiss again in Hanover.

Ted and Heidi Cruz's marriage hasn't been perfect, but the two have remained united amid all sorts of public criticism. In 2021, the Texas senator and his wife left the state to vacation in Mexico while Texas was facing unprecedented winter weather that left millions in vulnerable positions. Ted has been criticized countless other times for various opinions and voting stances, none of which Heidi has taken issue with publicly. But what she should have taken issue with was the awkward kiss she and Ted shared in 2015 at Liberty University where Ted announced his presidential candidacy. Ted kissed Heidi on the cheek, uncomfortably keeping his eyes wide open.

Ted clearly loves his wife — they've been together for decades and the senator has defended Heidi even when it could've proven detrimental to his political career, like the time he called out Donald Trump for insulting Heidi. But Ted's celebratory kiss with his wife that evening was proof that love isn't enough to keep two people from sharing an awkward gesture. Unfortunately for Ted and Heidi, their awkward moment was caught on camera.