Donald Trump has fired former Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
The former second gentleman was one of several board members dismissed after being appointed by former President Joe Biden in January.
Typically, presidential appointments last for five years.
Emhoff said he would continue to speak out and educate after Trump fired him
Highlights
- Donald Trump fired Doug Emhoff from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum board.
- Emhoff pledged to keep fighting antisemitism and said Holocaust remembrance should not be politicized.
- Other Biden appointees such as Ron Klain and Susan Rice were also dismissed.
- Trump wants to replace the members with strong supporters of Israel, said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
Image credits: Robin L Marshall / Getty Images
Trump is now aiming to replace the board members with “steadfast supporters of the State of Israel,” the New York Times reports.
“Today, I was informed of my removal from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council,” Emhoff said in a statement on X on Tuesday.
“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.”
He continued: “No divisive political decision will ever shake my commitment to Holocaust remembrance and education or to combating hate and antisemitism. I will continue to speak out, to educate, and to fight hate in all its forms — because silence is never an option.”
Image credits: DouglasEmhoff
Other dismissed officials include Biden’s first chief of staff, Ron Klain; former labor secretary, Tom Perez; and former President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, who led a major national strategic effort to counter antisemitism as Biden’s top domestic policy adviser.
Anthony Bernal, a senior adviser to former first lady Jill Biden, was also dismissed.
“President Trump looks forward to appointing new individuals who will not only continue to honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, but who are also steadfast supporters of the State of Israel,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
The board members were told they were being terminated effective immediately in an email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office, the New York Times reported.
Image credits: The White House
“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council is terminated, effective immediately,” it read.
“Thank you for your service.”
Emhoff, who is Jewish, served on Biden’s White House antisemitism task force and has spoken about antisemitism and the Holocaust extensively.
He was the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. president or vice president in history.
Last year, Emhoff’s ex-girlfriend alleged that he slapped her during an argument the pair had at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in France.
Harris will make her first major speech after last year’s election defeat
Image credits: Pacific Press / Getty Images
The allegation stems from before Emhoff married Harris, and he issued a denial after it was reported, saying the claim was “untrue.”
In a statement, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum did not address the mass firings but said it looked forward to working with the Trump administration.
“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 statement read.
“We look forward to continuing to advance our vitally important mission as we work with the Trump Administration,” it continued.
It comes as Harris, who lost to Trump in the election, is set to make her first major speech since the 2024 defeat.
Harris will deliver a keynote address at the 20th-anniversary gala of Emerge America in San Francisco on Wednesday.
Emerge, which aims to increase the number of Democratic women leaders, said Harris would address the first 100 days of the Trump administration.