Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki asked Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff on Sunday about reshaping the “perception of masculinity.”
In recent weeks, Emhoff has made several media appearances supporting his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris. On “Inside with Jen Psaki,” Emhoff said he has always aimed to “do the right thing” and “support women” when asked about his role in transforming the standard view of masculinity.
“Something that’s also been an important part, or an interesting part of how people of talked about your role here, is how your role has reshaped the perception of masculinity. I’m not sure you planned on that but you are an incredibly supportive spouse. Has that been an evolution for you? Do you think that’s part of the role you might play as a first gentleman?”
“It’s funny. I started to think a lot about this. I’ve always been like this, my dad was like this and to me it’s the right thing to do, support women. It’s mutual with Kamala and I. We support each other, we have each other’s back. I’ve said many times when we lift up women, we support women, whether it is pay equity, child care, family leave, and all of these issues that [are in] this post-Dobbs hellscape,” Emhoff said.
Emhoff continued to state how women “should not be less than,” noting that when women are lifted up so are families and the economy.
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“Women should not be less than. Women should not have less rights and be treated differently, that’s not the American way. It’s also not like, if some woman succeeds, some dude out there is suffering. It’s not a one-to-one relationship,” Emhoff continued. “When we lift up women, we lift up families, we lift up the economy. When I was in the business world, it lifted up the organizations that I was in. It certainly lifted up the White House when you were there — with you there and Kamala as vice president, it was a great workplace there.”
Following the launch of Harris’ nationwide abortion tour in December 2023, Emhoff later followed suit and held an event in discussing the role men can play to advocate on behalf of women for increased access to abortions, according to NBC News.
In early August, the Daily Mail reported that Doug Emhoff allegedly had an affair around 2009 with his then young-daughter’s nanny, Najen Naylor, while married to his first wife, Kerstin. The nanny, who also taught at the Los Angeles private school his daughter attended, allegedly became pregnant as a result, but did “not have the baby,” according to CBS News.
Emhoff later confirmed the affair in a statement to CNN but did not name the woman or address the alleged pregnancy.
“During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions. I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side,” Emhoff told CNN.
Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America
