Second gentleman calls Ye’s anti-Semitism personally painful

WASHINGTON — Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris and the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. leader, decried recent anti-Semitic comments by Ye and others saying, “it’s painful, it hurts.”

Emhoff, who largely keeps a discreet profile as the nation’s first second gentleman, described his unique place in history during remarks to the NewDEAL Leaders conference in Washington on Friday, according to the White House.

“There’s never been a Jew married to a president, or vice president, or has been president or vice president,” Emhoff said. “As it turns out, that has become a very big deal in the Jewish community and in other communities that aren’t represented. And I felt it was very important to kind of take that on, accept that responsibility, and really lean into it.”