Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailRepublicans are strangely bashing second gentleman Doug Emhoff for hugging his daughter Ella at the first night of the Democratic National Convention.On Monday evening, Democrats gathered for the first night of the DNC in Chicago, where Harris’ husband was spotted hugging his daughter — a move that launched conservative pundits into a social media frenzy.Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirkposted a photo of the father-daughter pair embracing along with the sarcastic caption: “Totally not weird.”Kirk seems to be trying to turn the tables on Democrats, including Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, who have repeatedly labeled Donald Trump and JD Vance “weird.”Conservative political commentator Benny Johnson also chimed in, writing on X: “‘Second Gentelman’ (sic) Doug Emhoff and his daughter.. Creepy.”Charlie Kirk calls Doug Emhoff hugging his daughter ‘weird’ (@charliekirk11)Executive Director of Women for America First Kylie Jane Kremer also commented on the interaction alongside the clip. “Kamala’s ‘husband’ and her step daughter at the DNC,” she wrote. “Are we sure Doug only slept with the nanny? I’m getting some strange vibes between these two.”Kremer was referring to the affair that the second gentleman had during his first marriage, before he had met or was married to Harris. He acknowledged the romantic relationship last month.While conservatives have been fixated on making the father-daughter hug something nefarious, some social media users have pointed to Trump’s strange treatment toward his daughter Ivanka.In a 2006 interview on The View while sitting next to his daughter, Trump said: “If Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.”In New York criminal court in May, porn star Stormy Daniels testified about her sexual encounter with Trump one year into his marriage with his then-pregnant wife Melania. She recalled Trump telling her in a hotel room in 2006: “You remind me of my daughter… Smart, blonde and beautiful.”One social media user replied to Kirk’s tweet with a photo of Trump looking at Ivanka’s body while he has her hands on her waist: “It’s okay to recognize there are some innings you should just sit out, Chuck.”Another posted a clip of the same moment between Trump and his daughter, writing sarcastically: “Frisking is more acceptable.”“This is creepy,” yet another remarked on the Trump family exchange.The latest attacks around Harris’s family come after a past clip of Vance resurfaced, capturing him calling the vice president a “childless cat lady” — despite the fact that she has two stepchildren.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/doug-ella-emhoff-dnc-hug-b2599098.html
