While I agree that “things are sometimes not what they seem”, I’ve watched the CSPAN video. He may not have meant to be rude, but he had passed the Bible to his wife and briefly glanced at her while her hand was in the air. He seemed to reject her extended hand by not at least acknowledging her congratulations with a smile, a nod of the head or a mea culpa of “my hand is occupied”. I do believe he said thanks.
One can watch the CSPAN clip and interpret the encounter for oneself…not sure why I did but I guess I was curious. The H may have some age-related issues but it was odd that he kept his gaze averted for almost all of his interaction with the VP. It was when he finally glanced at her with her hand in the air, his response was to move his left hand into his pants pocket.
The NYT has an article where it showed his much different demeanor on prior swearing-in ceremonies with Pence and Biden.