Doug Emhoff, former second gentleman in the United States, has been removed from the board of directors to be responsible for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Trump administration’s relocation of new members is more consistent with Israel’s views.
Emhoff, husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris, is one of several appointments from the Biden administration that President Donald Trump rejected. The board, known as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Committee, helps guide museum actions and policies.
“Today, I was told that I was evacuated from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Committee,” Emerf said in a statement posted on X. “Let me make it clear: Holocaust memorials and education should never be politicized. It is dangerous to turn the worst atrocities in history into one of the wedge problems – making six million Jews murdered the museum, and six million Jews murdered the museum.
Jewish Emhoff was appointed to the council in January, which is expected to be five years. He previously served on President Joe Biden’s White House Anti-Semitism Task Force, which saw a surge in anti-Semitism following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Several other prominent Biden-era officials have also been removed from office, according to White House officials, including Ron Klain (former chief of staff for Biden), Tom Perez (former White House adviser), Anthony Bernal (former former adviser to Jill Biden) and Susan Rice (former national security adviser, national security adviser under Obama).
According to a copy of the termination email obtained by the New Orke Times, the White House Presidential Personnel Office informed board members that their roles had been terminated “effective immediately.”
A brief description summarizes: “Thank you for your service.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the decision, noting that President Trump plans to appoint a new member “a staunch supporter of the State of Israel.”
“President Trump looks forward to appointing memories of those who not only will continue to remember the lives of the Holocaust, but also those who stand with Israel,” Levitt said in a statement.
Opened in 1993, the Holocaust Memorial Museum is a federal charter agency whose board of directors usually includes bipartisan appointees who serve a staggered five-year period.
