Some heckling is to be expected when you’re a hilariously named, disgraced former politician attempting to make a comeback, but on Sunday someone dared to shout insults at Anthony Weiner in front of his widely admired wife. The Daily News reports that during Huma Abedin’s much-anticipated first appearance on the campaign trail, a man started chanting, “Take your clothes off!” Abedin didn’t break a sweat — literally or figuratively — though she wound up making her debut during one of the hottest days of the summer. “She doesn’t seem to notice the heat,” Weiner marveled. “It’s very weird. She shows no outward signs.”
As one of Hillary Clinton’s closest aides, Abedin surely has experience tuning out comments about a husband’s misbehavior in office, but this was the her first foray into the role of political spouse. She channeled another first lady during stops at two Staten Island churches and a stroll through Harlem, wearing the same red and white checked dress Michelle Obama had on in a famous election-night tweet.
Most of the people the couple encountered during their stops were rather pleasant. (Weiner reportedly quipped, “They’re just being nice to me because you’re around!” many times throughout the day.) Yet, Politicker reports that Abedin seemed torn when asked if she’ll be making regular appearances on the campaign trail. “I’m a mom. I’ve got my own life and my own profession that I’m very committed to, that I love. And I have my husband who is doing something I want to be supportive of. And I’m very proud of what he’s doing. And so yeah, I want to help him,” she said. “But you know, it’s like, I’m trying to figure out everything and I think that’s a pretty normal thing that a lot of women find that they have to figure out. But I’m having a good time.”
As for the timing of Abedin’s first public appearance on his behalf, Weiner insisted it wasn’t to draw contrasts with Eliot Spitzer (whose wife hasn’t weighed in on his run for city comptroller and may or may not be living in a different building). Weiner, using his go-to excuse, said the timing was actually about their 18-month-old son Jordan. “My mother-in-law’s visiting from out-of-town so we have childcare on the weekends. And she seemed eager to do it. And I, of course, was eager to have her,” he said. “It’s very nice and comforting having her around.”
