Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, has made headlines with his recent comments calling former President Donald J. Trump “a known antisemite.” In a video released by the Biden campaign on Tuesday, Emhoff expressed his strong condemnation of Trump’s language about Jews, stating, “The last person I’m going to take advice from as a Jewish person is a known antisemite who’s had dinner with antisemites.”
This escalation of attacks by President Biden’s campaign against Trump comes in response to a video posted by Trump, which was later taken down, that included old-time newspaper headlines suggesting a victory by Trump in November would bring about a “unified Reich.” Biden, in a video released by his campaign, accused Trump of using “Hitler’s language.”
The Biden campaign and its surrogates have been vocal in condemning Trump for his use of antisemitic language in the past. Just two weeks ago, a Biden campaign spokesman criticized Trump for employing “patronizing antisemitic shtick” after Trump suggested that Jews who voted for Biden “should be ashamed of themselves.”
Trump has a history of using antisemitic language and imagery, including posting and then deleting an image of Hillary Clinton with a Star of David and declaring that there were “very fine people” on both sides of the 2017 rally in Charlottesville involving neo-Nazis and white supremacists. He has also shown support for far-right backers who are openly antisemitic.
While Trump’s campaign spokesman did not directly respond to Emhoff’s remarks, he sought to tie protests against Israel’s war in Gaza to Biden, painting opposition to the war as antisemitic. However, Emhoff’s strong words against Trump’s antisemitic language have sparked a new wave of debate and discussion surrounding the issue.
As tensions continue to rise, with protests against the war in Gaza and criticism of Biden’s support for Israel’s government, the issue of antisemitism remains a prominent topic in the political landscape. Emhoff’s bold stance against Trump’s language serves as a reminder of the importance of addressing and condemning antisemitism in all its forms.
