Pictures of Kamala Harris spotted on a run prompt jokes about whether the secret service can ‘keep up’

Although Washington DC may be under extra protection in the wake of Donald Trump supporters' deadly insurrection at the Capitol, Kamala Harris appears keen to show she will not be cowed by any possible threat.

In a week where the Pentagon said at least 5,000 National Guard troops will remain deployed in city until mid-March, the new vice president was spotted exercising in public with her husband, Douglas Emhoff.

Footage showed Harris jogging the busy steps of the Lincoln Memorial with a secret service agent in tow before giving her husband a high five at the top – prompting jokes about whether her security detail could "keep up".

The now-viral clip was shared by Bobby Tran, who said he and his girlfriend had been visiting the Lincoln Memorial to look at artist Simon Berger's "Glass Ceiling Breaker" – a portrait of Harris, the first female, black and Asian VP – only to spot the real Harris jogging nearby.

"We turned around and there she was, running the steps, and being one with the community," Tran later told Insider.

"As we were getting closer, I also noticed somebody that appeared to be Doug Emhoff, too. It wasn't until later when I looked over the video that I noticed the second gentleman at the top, who paused to give her a high five as she finished her run.

"I thought that was the coolest thing to be so supportive of each other out there."

While face masks can afford politicians some newfound anonymity, this didn't seem to stop people from spotting Harris, who stopped to take a socially distanced selfie with Tran and others, appearing to draw a slight crowd.

Although the VP might decide against taking such a heavily populated route in the future purely for practical reasons, her decision to do so – which will be viewed by some as a PR stunt – won praise from her supporters on social media.

Some went so far as to suggest she was "reclaiming" the capital in the wake of the tragedy of 6 January.

But others felt for her security detail...

However, the secret service may have to get used to future outings while protecting the vice president.

In September, she told Barack Obama: "I work out every morning, regardless of how much sleep I’ve had", adding: It’s just the best way to start the day.”

And Emhoff previously told Men's Health: “Every morning [she] works out, by hook or by crook. It got me into the same groove she’s in. I’m in way better shape now than I was 10 years ago.”

Meanwhile, the footage – viewed millions of times – drew inevitable comparisons with the time her predecessor Mike Pence broke into this clap-heavy run, with Free's "All Right Now" playing in the background.

Not to mention Trump's now-infamous photo opportunity in which he stood outside St John's Church clutching a Bible moments after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to clear anti-racism protesters from his path.

More: Why Kamala Harris swearing-in on Thurgood Marshall's bible is a symbol of resilience