Kerstin Emhoff, the ex-wife of Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and mother of their two children, criticized Arkansas Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders after Sanders claimed Vice President Kamala Harris is not "humble" because she doesn't have kids of her own.
Sanders—who served as former President Donald Trump's White House Press Secretary—introduced Trump at his Flint, Michigan, town hall yesterday and mocked Harris for not having biological children.
She said the following while recalling an interaction with her young daughter while helping her get ready for a dance:
″‘It’s okay, mommy, one day you can be pretty too.' So my kids keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn’t have anything keeping her humble.”
“You would think after four years of straight failure, she would know a little humility. Unfortunately, she doesn’t.”
You can hear what she said in the video below.
The irony is striking, as Sanders has been criticized for a significant policy decision impacting children.
Last year, she signed a bill that rolled back key child labor protections in Arkansas, including removing the requirement for employers to secure work certificates for minors under 16. Her office dismissed the rule as an "arbitrary burden on parents." Just a month before the bill was enacted, a food sanitation company was fined $1.5 million for employing minors in hazardous meatpacking roles, including in Arkansas.
However, Republicans have nonetheless criticized Harris for not having biological children even though she has been an involved stepmother, helping to raise Cole and Ella, the Second Gentleman's children with Kerstin Emhoff.
Sanders' remarks also echo the sexist and misogynistic rhetoric that has in recent months hurt Trump's running mate J.D. Vance, who has come under fire for now-infamous remarks about "childless cat ladies" having too much political power. Vance has also questioned Harris's ability to lead—ridiculous in and of itself given her decades of experience, particularly as Attorney General of California, before she entered the Senate.
Kerstin Emhoff—the CEO of film production company Prettybird and creative studio Ventureland who won a News & Documentary Emmy Award in 2012—fired back at Sanders with an instant fact-check:
"Cole and Ella keep us inspired to make the world a better place. I do it through storytelling. Kamala Harris has spent her entire career working for the people, ALL families. That keeps you pretty humble."
You can see her post below.
Many appreciated her response—and piled on with criticism of Sanders.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff has consistently shown unwavering public support for his wife throughout challenging campaigns, including the 2020 Democratic primary, and amidst partisan attacks expected to intensify as Election Day nears. He has also spoken about their marriage as a testament to gender equality, embracing sacrifice to support her ambitions.
He has noted that Harris helped him raise his children; he has said that helping women achieve their personal goals "is not taking away opportunities from men," adding that Harris "lifts me up and helps me with my duties. We help each other.”
Moreover, he has acknowledged his own culpability in the demise of his first marriage, admitting he had an extramarital affair with a teacher at his children’s school. In remarks to reporters earlier this year, he said he and his ex-wife "worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side.”
Kerstin Emhoff has become close with Harris in the years since, once sharing that when Harris was California's attorney general and later its senator, she would meet Harris and her ex-husband "at the SoulCycle by their house, and we'd take a class together."
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