Video of Doug Emhoff with his daughter triggers backlash from conservatives

A clip showing Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and his daughter on the first night of the Democratic National Convention is circulating online. Conservatives are describing Emhoff's behavior as “strange.”

The moment in question shows Emhoff with his arm around his 25-year-old daughter Ella – a model, fashion designer and stepdaughter of Vice President Kamala Harris – who is hugging Emhoff with her arm around his shoulders.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump shared videos of the moment on X, formerly Twitter. Conservative commentator Benny Johnson, for example, described the moment as “creepy.”

Conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, also posted a screenshot of the moment on his X account and wrote next to the image: “Absolutely not weird.” As of Tuesday afternoon, the post had over 5.4 million views. Podcaster and self-proclaimed MAGA supporter Scott Adams also criticized the moment, writing on X: “I would describe Doug Emhoff and his daughter as 'weird.'”

Newsweek sent an email to Harris' campaign team on Tuesday evening seeking comment.

Some conservatives also criticized a moment between President Joe Biden and his youngest daughter, Ashley, who spoke before Biden's keynote speech at the DNC on Monday night. Johnson posted a video to his Instagram account of Biden hugging his daughter on the DNC stage, calling it “the most awkward moment” of the convention's opening night.

Democrats began calling Republicans and their policies “creepy” and “weird” last month. This attack was first coined by Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and quickly gained attention online. Trump's campaign has repeatedly denied the attack, and the former president responded to the attacks by calling Harris a “weird person.”

Some users on X fired back at conservatives who called Emhoff “weird” by pointing to old photos of Trump with his eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump. The former president faced criticism for allegedly making inappropriate comments about his daughter, who served as a White House adviser during her father's first term.

During a 2006 appearance on ABC's The view, Trump said as he sat next to Ivanka that if she “wasn’t my daughter, maybe I would go out with her.” In an interview with Rolling Stone, Trump reportedly said Ivanka was “really special and a beauty. If I wasn't happily married and, you know, her father…”

“The fact that Kirk called this sweet, innocent moment between Doug and Emma Emhoff 'weird' when there are numerous creepy photos of Donald Trump staring at or creepily posing with Ivanka is hilarious,” wrote one user on X. “Trump said he was *dating his own daughter*!”

“This is why they're trying to make it seem like it's weird that Doug Emhoff hugs his daughter like a daughter,” wrote another user, reposting a compilation video of Trump's past comments about Ivanka.

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