Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff Calls Out Trump: He's 'A Known Antisemite'
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff called former President Donald Trump âa known antisemiteâ after Trump shared a social media video this week referencing a âunified Reichâ should he win Novemberâs presidential election.
Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, addressed Trumpâs controversial behavior in a video released Tuesday that shows him watching a clip of Trump repeating criticism he has made of Jewish people who support President Joe Biden.
âIf Jewish people are going to vote for Joe Biden, they have to have their head examined,â Trump can be heard saying in the video.
Emhoff, who is the first Jewish spouse of an American president or vice president, called out Trumpâs language and dubious personal connections while challenging his remark.
Second Gentleman @DouglasEmhoff responds to Trump attacking Jewish Americans pic.twitter.com/uZd9FX169X
â Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) May 21, 2024
âThe last person Iâm going to take advice from, as a Jewish person, is a known antisemite, whoâs had dinner with antisemites, who said there were good people on both sides after Charlottesville. Heâs the last person Iâm going to take advice from,â Emhoff said.
Emhoff appeared to be referring to Trump once dining with white nationalist and antisemite Nick Fuentes and Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who is also known for making antisemitic remarks.
On Monday, Trump shared a video on his Truth Social account that showed a fake newspaper report about him wanting to make âthe creation of a unified Reichâ after having a âlandslideâ victory in the 2024 presidential election.
âReichâ is mostly used today to refer to Nazi Germanyâs Third Reich, which was the description that dictator Adolf Hitler gave to Germany during his rule. The wordâs use in the video, however, appeared to refer to the formation of the German Empire in 1871.
Trump later took the video down. A spokesperson for his campaign told media outlets that it is not a campaign video and that it was âreposted by a staffer who clearly did not see the word.â
In a statement, the Biden-Harris campaign said the video is âpart of a pattern of [Trumpâs] praise for dictators and echoing antisemitic tropes.â
Biden and Harris also addressed it in separate speeches on Tuesday.
âThis is Hitlerâs language â not Americaâs,â Biden said at a Boston fundraiser, while Harris said the following at a Philadelphia convention: âThis kind of rhetoric is unsurprising coming from the former president, and it is appalling, and we got to tell him who we are.â
Trump is well known for using or referencing language thatâs often associated with Nazi Germany or World War II dictators.
Earlier this month, Trump accused Biden of running a âGestapo administration,â which refers to the secret police force that Nazis used. He has also been called out for saying, on multiple occasions, that immigrants entering the U.S. illegally are âpoisoning the bloodâ of the country, rhetoric that was also used by Hitler.
Trump has claimed ignorance of using language that echoed Hitler. However, Trumpâs ex-wife, Ivana Trump, has said that he kept a book of Hitlerâs speeches called âMy New Orderâ in a cabinet by his bed. Former Paramount chairman Martin Davis also said that Trump once gave him a copy of âMy New Order.â