Joe Biden stops to pick a dandelion for the first lady as they walk towards Marine One for trip to Georgia

Couple are travelling to Georgia to mark first 100 days of administration and meet with US’s oldest living ex-president

In an impromptu show of affection, Joe Biden paused to pick a dandelion for the first lady before they boarded Marine One on their way to Georgia.

Jill Biden accepted the token before the president gave her a tap on the lower back while entering the helicopter.

The pair are travelling to Atlanta after to meet with former president Jimmy Carter and hold a rally to mark 100 days in office and pitch the administration’s next spending bill.

It comes the morning after the president delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress, which was sparsely attended due to Covid distancing.

Reaction to the president’s floral gift to his wife quickly split down partisan lines, with the left highlighting heart, smiley face and flower emojis, while conservatives criticised the coverage elevating the moment above news of the start of Afghanistan troop withdrawals.

The White House pool reporter who broke the news, Laura Figueroa Hernandez, recognised that it wasn’t exactly "earth shattering", but that it’s those moments that help chronicle a presidency.

"My Twitter mentions are going crazy again because I noted in my pool report that Biden stepped down to pick up a Dandelion for FLOTUS," she said.

"No it’s not earth shattering news, but it’s the job of the print pooler to note all the details of the president’s movements."