Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff expressed concern over former President Trump's recent remarks targeting Jewish Americans. Emhoff highlighted Trump's comments at a Jewish event in Washington, where Trump warned Jewish voters against supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, Emhoff's wife, in the upcoming election. Emhoff found Trump's remarks troubling, particularly when Trump suggested that Jewish voters would bear responsibility if he lost the election.
Emhoff criticized Trump for using antisemitic tropes and emphasized the need to speak out against such language. Emhoff agreed with the notion that Trump's words could potentially put a target on the backs of Jewish Americans. He condemned Trump's insinuation that Jewish Americans had dual loyalties and stressed the importance of combating antisemitism and hate in society.
When asked if he believed Trump's comments were antisemitic, Emhoff affirmed that they were indeed antisemitic. Emhoff referenced Trump's speech at the Israeli-American Council National Summit, where Trump made promises to Jewish Americans and issued warnings about the consequences of not supporting him in the election.
Trump's campaign responded by accusing the Harris campaign of using inflammatory rhetoric that could incite violence against Jewish people. The campaign argued that Trump had been more supportive of Jewish Americans and Israel than Harris. Trump's statements about Israel's future and the voting patterns of Jewish Americans have sparked controversy and raised concerns about the impact of such rhetoric.
