Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff Calls Out Trump: He's 'A Known Antisemite'
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff called former President Donald Trump “a known antisemite” after Trump shared a social media video this week referencing a “unified Reich” should he win November’s presidential election.
Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, addressed Trump’s 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.
“If Jewish people are going to vote for Joe Biden, they have to have their head examined,” Trump can be heard saying in the video.
Emhoff, who is the first Jewish spouse of an American president or vice president, called out Trump’s language and dubious personal connections while challenging his remark.
“The last person I’m going to take advice from, as a Jewish person, is a known antisemite, who’s had dinner with antisemites, who said there were good people on both sides after Charlottesville. He’s the last person I’m going to take advice from,” 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 “the creation of a unified Reich” after having a “landslide” victory in the 2024 presidential election.
Emhoff labeled Trump as a "known antisemite" after Trump shared a video referencing a “unified Reich” should he win November’s presidential election. via Associated Press
“Reich” is mostly used today to refer to Nazi Germany’s Third Reich, which was the description that dictator Adolf Hitler gave to Germany during his rule. The word’s 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 “reposted by a staffer who clearly did not see the word.”
In a statement, the Biden-Harris campaign said the video is “part of a pattern of [Trump’s] praise for dictators and echoing antisemitic tropes.”
Biden and Harris also addressed it in separate speeches on Tuesday.
“This is Hitler’s language — not America’s,” Biden said at a Boston fundraiser, while Harris said the following at a Philadelphia convention: “This kind of rhetoric is unsurprising coming from the former president, and it is appalling, and we got to tell him who we are.”
Trump is well known for using or referencing language that’s often associated with Nazi Germany or World War II dictators.
Earlier this month, Trump accused Biden of running a “Gestapo administration,” 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 “poisoning the blood” of the country, rhetoric that was also used by Hitler.
A video posted on Trump's Truth Social account this week displayed news headlines referring to a "unified Reich" if he wins the 2024 presidential election. CHRIS DELMAS via Getty Images
Trump has claimed ignorance of using language that echoed Hitler. However, Trump’s ex-wife, Ivana Trump, has said that he kept a book of Hitler’s speeches called “My New Order” in a cabinet by his bed. Former Paramount chairman Martin Davis also said that Trump once gave him a copy of “My New Order.”