Who were the two people flanking the stage during the State of the Union?

Asked by Jeruba (56110

) March 6th, 2022

Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi were right behind President Biden. No mystery there. But who were the other two—the masked man on our left and the unmasked woman on our right? Security?

I’ve tried and failed to Google this question.

I watched on PBS’s website on my computer. Maybe if you watched on TV you heard them identified—not so much their names as the reason for their presence.

Observing members: 0

Composing members: 0

6 Answers

My guess- security.

SergeantQueen (13143

)“Great Answer” (2

) Flag as…

I have put an enquiry somewhere, @Jeruba.

rebbel (35553

)“Great Answer” (2

) Flag as…

They don’t appear to include the parliamentarian.

filmfann (52519

)“Great Answer” (1

) Flag as…

The masked man on the left is standing next to the silver mace which is a symbol of the authority of the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives so I would guess he works for that office. The woman opposite probably does too. The Sergeant at Arms himself introduced Biden and then sat with the audience.

flutherother (34936

)“Great Answer” (2

) Flag as…

@flutherother, ah, thank you. That makes sense. I wonder if the woman acts in the same capacity with respect to the Senate.

Jeruba (56110

)“Great Answer” (2

) Flag as…

That is very possible as the Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate has a role in escorting the senators when they proceed from the Senate to the House Chamber for the State of the Union Address.

flutherother (34936

)“Great Answer” (1

) Flag as…