Former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff lashed out at the Trump administration, accusing it of politicizing the Holocaust and dishonoring the memory of six million murdered Jews after he was removed from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.
The Holocaust Memorial Council oversees the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Most of the members of the council are appointed by the president and serve five-year terms.
Emhoff, who is Jewish and is married to former Vice President Kamala Harris, was appointed to the council by former President Joe Biden.
Along with Emhoff, the Trump administration also removed several other council members appointed by Biden, according to The Hill.
After receiving news of his dismissal from the council, Emhoff took to social media to slam the administration, saying it was turning “one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue.”
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and Doug Emhoff listen as President Donald Trump speaks after taking the oath of office at the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
“Today, I was informed of my removal from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council,” he said. “Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized. To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous – and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.”
Emhoff said that despite his removal, he would continue to speak out against hate “in all its forms.”
“No divisive political decision will ever shake my commitment to Holocaust remembrance and education or combatting hate and antisemitism,” he said, adding: “I will continue to speak out, to educate, and to fight hate in all its forms – because silence is never an option.”
Emhoff has previously been criticized for getting basic facts wrong about the Jewish religion, such as the origin of one of its most significant feasts, Hanukkah. Meanwhile, both his wife and Biden took heavy criticism for not being more supportive of Israel and its war against Hamas after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks.
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Emhoff, who is Jewish and is married to former Vice President Kamala Harris, was appointed to the council by former President Joe Biden. Along with Emhoff, the Trump administration also removed several other council members appointed by Biden, according to The Hill. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Emhoff has also accused President Donald Trump of being a “threat” to Jews. At a speech in Pittsburgh during the 2024 presidential campaign, Emhoff said: “Whenever chaos and cruelty are given a green light, Jew-hatred is historically not far behind.” He added, “That matters today because Donald Trump is nothing if not an agent of chaos and cruelty.”
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In his first 100 days in office, however, Trump has made combating antisemitism, especially on college campuses, a major focus.
Among other actions, the Trump Department of Homeland Security has arrested Hamas sympathizers on college campuses who they say pose a threat to national security. The administration has also moved to pull funding from universities, including Harvard, unless they reform their governing processes and change their international admissions processes to avoid admitting students who are “hostile” to American values or support terrorism or antisemitism.
In response to a request for comment by Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum said: “At this time of high antisemitism and Holocaust distortion and denial, the Museum is gratified that our visitation is robust and demand for Holocaust education is increasing.”
The representative added, “We look forward to continuing to advance our vitally important mission as we work with the Trump Administration.”
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf, Morgan Phillips and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.