Ella Emhoff, the step-daughter of Kamala Harris, has given an emotional sign-off message on her last day as the “second daughter” as Donald Trump Trump takes office.
Hours before Trump’s swearing-in on Monday, Emhoff, a 25-year-old fashion designer and artist, posted a mirror selfie, capturing herself in a beanie holding a gold-framed photo of herself and her brother at the inauguration ceremony of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris four years ago. She is the biological daughter of former Second Husband Doug Emhoff and his ex-wife Kerstin.
“I know we are all feeling a lot of emotions today,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’m truly feeling the full spectrum of emotions right now as I reflect on the past 4 years.”
Emhoff expressed gratitude for her supporters but had a message for the haters: “I just want to say I’m so grateful for everyone who has supported me during this period of my life. Some of my highest highs and lowest lows. For those who made it harder, you suck.”
“It’s been truly insane and [an] honor being the 2nd daughter. Thank you for letting me do it in my own way,” she wrote.
The 25-year-old — once nicknamed the “first daughter of Bushwick” — also posted photos of the 2020 inauguration ceremony, when she boasted a Covid-era face mask and a plaid Miu Miu coat. Weeks later, she signed a modeling contract.
Emhoff got thrown into the crosshairs of the 2024 campaign cycle when JD Vance and others in the MAGA world described Harris as a “childless cat lady,” even though she is a stepmother to Ella and her brother Cole.
The sibling pair refer to her lovingly as “Momala.”
In response to Vance’s comment, the 25-year-old swiftly came to Harris’ defense. She posted an Instagram story writing: “How can you be ‘childless’ when you have cutie pie kids like cole and I?” She added: “I love my three parents.”
Kerstin Emhoff, who was married to Doug for 16 years, also defended Harris in the wake of Vance’s remark.
In a statement in July, she said: “For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I. She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present.” She added: “I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.”
