Second Gentlemen Doug Emhoff bristled after being asked if he chose the china patterns and was the party planner of the vice president’s residence as his female predecessors did, but insisted he has ‘a very healthy ego.’
Emhoff, 58, sat down with CNN to discuss his gender-breaking role as Second Gentlemen of the United States.
Asked about choosing china patterns and planning bashes – the traditional preserve of previous second ladies, Emhoff bristled momentarily, the network reported.
He then said: ‘Things like that, we’ll do together, my wife and I, the vice president.’
Emhoff is the first man to hold the title since his wife Kamala Harris was inaugurated as VP in January 2021, with the couple moving to the Naval Observatory in DC afterwards.
When asked about how he deals with being second-best to his wife, the former entertainment attorney said he has a ‘very healthy ego.’
‘You have to put your ego aside though, it’s not about you,’ he told CNN. ‘Now that I’m in the role, you really see not all men naturally would do this, and would push back, and there’s this, this, toxicity, this masculine idea of what a man is that’s out there, that’s not correct . . . it’s something I just want to push back on.’
‘Masculinity is loving your family, caring about your family, and being there for your family. We’re kind of mixing up this concept that if somehow a man shows kindness or empathy or consideration for others, that somehow not masculine, and that is just not okay, that is just not true.’
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Doug Emhoff, 58, bristled after being asked if he chose the china patterns and was the party planner of the vice president’s residence during a CNN interview
He became the first Second Gentlemen in 2021 after his wife, Kamala Harris, (pictured together) became the vice president
The couple co-parent Emhoff’s two adult children, Ella, 23, and Cole, 28.
Rather than spending hours contemplating what the plates look like, Emhoff focuses on political duties as Second Gentlemen, traveling the country to hear voters’ needs to bring back to the White House.
He’s been to 40 different states and abroad three times as Second Gentlemen, according to CNN.
‘Hasn’t been a lot of time for the ceremonial part,’ he said.
Veep spouses began taking on more official duties in 1953 with Patricia Nixon, wife to former Vice President (and President) Richard Nixon. She was the first to create her own agenda and make trips on behalf of the vice president.
By 1978, Second Ladies, and now Second Gentlemen, were awarded a budget and an office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Before, they often played the hostess and supporting spouse.
Emhoff said his role is not to upstage his wife, but to be there for her. He also double downed on men supporting their wives more.
Prior to Patricia Nixon, Second Ladies were mainly hostess and supportive spouses inside the VP’s residence (pictured), which is located in the Naval Observatory
‘I’m here because I’m her husband. I’m here to support her,’ he said on CNN’s special ‘Being…The Second Gentleman,’ which airs Saturday at 8 p.m.
‘I’ll be giving speeches, and one of the things I say is: “Men need to support women.” One, it’s the right thing to do, and then, men, you need to actually do it.’
He also wants America to move to a point where having a Second Gentlemen isn’t a jaw-dropping, conversational piece.
His children were also at the inauguration in January 2021 to support their step-mother
‘I want to be in a world where this is not unique,’ he told CNN. ‘It should not even be a big deal that I’m a man, going forward.’
He also received former Second Ladies Jill Biden and Karen Pence, who gave him good advice before moving in, with Jill telling him it would be different as a man, but to be himself.
Karen, on the other hand, took a more practical approach and taught him how to pay the bills and how to get the groceries inside their home, which is located at the Naval Observatory.
‘[Karen] was very helpful, having been in the residence right before. There’s a lot of non-intuitive things that happen living in this situation,’ Emhoff said.