Doug Emhoff's Support for Kamala Harris' Presidential Campaign Puts the Pressure on Melania Trump
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The 2024 presidential election is anything but predictable especially since President Joe Biden stepped aside to let Vice President Kamala Harris take over the campaign. The unexpected move has also changed the narrative as Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff steps into the spotlight to support his wife. His unwavering contributions to getting Kamala Harris elected is a stark contrast to Melania Trump’s unenthusiastic participation in Donald Trump’s run for the White House.
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Emhoff isn’t shying away from being Kamala Harris’ biggest cheerleader by taking a jab at her competitor. “Mr. Trump, I know you have so much trouble pronouncing her name,” he said at a Wisconsin rally on Saturday, July 27. “Here’s the good news—after the election, you can just call her Madam President.” The attorney is turning out to be quite the secret weapon on the campaign trail, and it might force Melania to step up quickly if Donald Trump wants a fighting chance in Washington, D.C.
Having Emhoff representing his wife at campaign stops also changes the media narrative. While Melania and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden were often sending messages through their wardrobe, it’s unclear if voters care what Emhoff wears. “Dr. Biden and Mrs. Trump are two supporting actors in a TV show that will run from now through November,” Michael LaRosa of Ballard Partners told The New York Times in April. “They have starring roles, but they bring very different styles, approaches, and brands to the audience.”
Jill will still be on the scene helping Kamala Harris keep the White House under the Democrats’ control, but having Emhoff in the mix is a fascinating, and historic, turn of events. He’s not even just selecting a few events for his calendar, he has a “packed” schedule, according to The Daily Beast, to get the word out about his wife. “The role of a spouse on the presidential campaign trail has long been to humanize the candidate” which Melania ‘has largely left to [Donald Trump’s] children and grandchildren.” On the flip side, Emhoff made sure to hit back at vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance’s attack on liberals, calling them “childless cat ladies.“
“Over the last decade, she’s not just been an amazing partner to me but a loving parent to two kids named Cole and Ella,” he said of his two children from his first marriage to Kerstin Emhoff. “From Day One, she’s been present, nurturing and fiercely protective of them.” In April, a source told The Times that the Melania’s campaign strategy probably won’t change because she felt “burnt” by her time in Washington, D.C. “Nowadays she is less in view except under very controlled circumstances. She tried but was attacked — everything, her shoes, her hair,” the insider noted. “The microscope is so intense. The sunglasses she wears all the time are her shield.”
However, Emhoff’s consistent presence is putting pressure on Donald Trump’s campaign. Will Melania step out from the shadows to help her husband? The promotion for her upcoming memoir, Melania, which is expected to drop on Oct. 1, might do the trick, but it might come too late in the game.
Before you go, click here to see Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff’s big blended family.
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