Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, accused former President Donald J. Trump of being “a known antisemite” in a video released on Tuesday. This marks a significant increase in attacks by President Biden’s campaign against Mr. Trump for his language concerning Jews.
Mr. Emhoff’s comments were made in an afternoon social media post by the Biden campaign titled “Second Gentleman @DouglasEmhoff responds to Trump attacking Jewish Americans.”
In the video, Mr. Emhoff states, “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 was ‘good people on both sides’ after Charlottesville.” This statement was in response to a weeks-old video of Mr. Trump claiming that Jews who support Mr. Biden “have to have their head examined.”
Furthermore, the Biden campaign has been working to prolong a news cycle that began when Mr. Trump posted, then deleted, a video on social media containing old newspaper headlines suggesting a victory by him in November would lead to a “unified Reich.” In a video released by his campaign, Mr. Biden accused Mr. Trump of using “Hitler’s language.”
Previously, the Biden campaign and its supporters have criticized Mr. Trump for using antisemitic rhetoric. Two weeks ago, a Biden campaign spokesman, Charles Lutvak, condemned Mr. Trump for employing “patronizing antisemitic shtick” after the former president suggested that Jews who voted for Mr. Biden “should be ashamed of themselves.”
Mr. Trump has a history of using antisemitic language and imagery, as well as expressing support for far-right groups that are openly antisemitic. In 2016, his campaign shared and later removed an image of Hillary Clinton with a pile of cash and the words “most corrupt candidate ever” inside a Star of David. Additionally, he controversially stated that there were “very fine people” on both sides of the 2017 rally involving neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va. Following the announcement of his 2024 campaign, Mr. Trump dined at Mar-a-Lago with Nick Fuentes, a prominent young white supremacist known for his antisemitic and racist views.
Despite Mr. Trump’s history, it is Mr. Biden who has faced criticism from various groups, including Arab and Muslim Americans, progressives, and other Democrats, for his support of Israel’s government following the attack by Hamas in October. This has led to accusations of being anti-Israel, especially after announcing a pause in the shipment of certain weapons to the country.
Meanwhile, American college campuses have seen protests against the war in Gaza, with Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris facing demonstrations and criticism over their handling of the conflict. During an event where Ms. Harris addressed union members in Philadelphia, protesters chanted pro-Palestinian slogans and held signs advocating for workers’ rights and a free Palestine.
In response to Mr. Emhoff’s remarks, Mr. Trump’s campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, attempted to link the protests against Israel’s actions to Mr. Biden while labeling opposition to the war as antisemitic. He stated, “Joe Biden is responsible for all this antisemitic hate on campuses across the country,” and highlighted President Trump’s support for Israel and the Jewish people.
Contributing reporting from Philadelphia was Nicholas Nehamas.
