CHICAGO — Doug Emhoff sought to introduce the country to his wife “Momala,” better known as Vice President Kamala Harris, by speaking to the human side of a public figure many Americans still recognize.
The country’s first second-in-command has described his wife with ease as a “cheerful fighter” and a loving parent to his children who make him listen to the “embarrassing” farewell voicemail she leaves him every year on their anniversary. in their first meeting.
“My mom is the only one who thinks Kamala is lucky to be married to me,” he said with a laugh on the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday.
Emhoff, a Los Angeles attorney who took a leave of absence from his firm after Harris became a vice president, has two grown children from his first marriage. She said that Harris, who has no biological children, put her family first, no matter how demanding her job was.
“Those of you from blended families know that things can be a little complicated. But as soon as they started calling her ‘Momala,’ I knew we were going to be fine,” Emhoff said.
Earlier this month, Emhoff accepted having an affair that ended his first marriage. But his ex-wife Kerstin defended him as a “great dad” and “great friend”, saying he was “really warm and proud to be supportive”. blended family Dag, Kamala and I built it together.”
Their daughter Ella, who was 15 when her father married Harris, called them a “three-headed parenting machine.” Now she is a fashion designer and rare model with a huge following on social media.
Emoff’s son, Cole, recently got married and asked Harris to officiate the wedding. Emoff said that despite his duties in Washington, Harris tried to write down his own comments and recorded them in a book he gave the couple as a gift.
“He’s always been there for our kids, and I know he’ll always be there for your kids,” she said.
Emhoff also dedicated herself to Harris’ career, apparently relishing the White House wife’s ceremonial duties that have always been performed by women since America was founded. When she attended the inauguration, it wasn’t even clear what to call her, as there was no precedent for the role until she settled on a second gentleman.
Now, if his wife wins the presidency, he will be the first gentleman in American history.
During the couple’s 2020 presidential campaign, Emhoff developed a close friendship with Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
And in a political moment charged with controversy over Israel’s war in Gaza, Emhoff, who is Jewish, has sought to quell claims of anti-Semitism on the right. Trump this week he claimedwithout proof, Harris was passed over to be an aide to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro because he was Jewish.
“He comes to synagogue with me for high holy day services and I go to church with him on Easter,” she said.
Harris, who is proud and visible of his skills in the kitchen cooking showsit makes, according to her husband, “mean meat for Passover,” which she says reminds him of the “bubbala”—Yiddish for grandmother—that she makes in her Brooklyn apartment.
However, he said his wife is “tough as nails” and never misses an opportunity to have fun with him.
“Thursday is our 10-year anniversary, and I know it’s going to be me hearing that embarrassing voicemail again,” she said. “But I know that on that day I will hear something else—I will hear that he has accepted your nomination for the presidency of the United States.”
