(WASHINGTON) — Doug Emhoff, the former second gentleman of the United States, said on Tuesday that he had been dismissed from the board of trustees of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Emhoff was dismissed from the board by President Donald Trump’s administration, which has the power to appoint and remove members.
“President Trump looks forward to appointing new individuals who will not only continue to honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, but who are also steadfast supporters of the State of Israel,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to ABC News.
According to the museum, the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, which serves as the board of trustees of the museum, has 55 president-appointed members, as well as members from the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and the departments of Education, Interior and State.
Emhoff was appointed in January to the council by then-President Joe Biden.
“Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized,” Emhoff said in a statement to ABC News.
“To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous,” he continued, “and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.”
The dismissal of Emhoff from the board is the latest example of Trump removing people from what were traditionally nonpartisan roles appointed by presidents and other officials.
In February, Trump announced he would be removing board members from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — and also installed himself as chair.
The New York Times was the first to report that a number of board members — including Emhoff — had been dismissed from the Holocaust Memorial Museum, which the White House confirmed to ABC News.
Emhoff, who is Jewish and has talked extensively about the Holocaust and antisemitism, has previously spoken in support of Israel, and he supported Biden’s efforts to broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas war.
In remarks to Jewish supporters on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention in August 2024, he framed then-Vice President Kamala Harris as “somebody who knows our community, will continue to support us and Israel, and make sure that just the world is free of hate, including antisemitism.”
The Holocaust Memorial Museum gave a statement to ABC News on Tuesday, saying, “At this time of high antisemitism and Holocaust distortion and denial, the Museum is gratified that our visitation is robust and demand for Holocaust education is increasing.”
“We look forward to continuing to advance our vitally important mission as we work with the Trump Administration,” the statement continued.
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