Politics
4 takeaways from the first look at Doug Emhoff’s BLN interview with Jen Psaki
BLN’s Jen Psaki sat down with Doug Emhoff in Wilmington, North Carolina, following a campaign event about Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic plans.
Psaki shared a preview of the interview, which focused on Emhoff’s connection to his Jewish faith and his efforts to fight antisemitism on “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” on Thursday night.
The wide-ranging interview will air in full at 12 p.m. Sunday on “Inside with Jen Psaki.”
Here are four takeaways from the first look:
Fighting antisemitism is personal and raw for Emhoff
The second gentleman spoke about how important his faith is to him and how difficult it is for him to publicly confront antisemitism and speak out on behalf of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
“It’s something that I’ve been working on … speaking about, meeting with released hostages [and] hostage families,” Emhoff said. “It’s intense, and a lot of times I don’t want to do it. It’s too raw. It’s too emotional for me.”

Harris pushed her husband to speak out
Emhoff shared that Harris has pushed him to be even more vocal about antisemitism.
He emphasized Harris’ dedication to the issue, adding that “she is the one who keeps pushing me out there because of the responsibility that I have in this role and because she cares about these issues.”
Emhoff also spoke about his commitment to continuing the fight against antisemitism during Harris’ administration if she is elected.
“I take being the first Jewish White House principal ever very seriously,” Emhoff said. “So when we win, and I am the first Jewish first gentleman, I’m going to continue to speak out very loudly.”
Emhoff is concerned about Jewish Americans being targeted as a result of Trump’s rhetoric
Emhoff said former President Donald Trump should be taken at face value when it comes to his increasingly hateful rhetoric.
Asked by Psaki whether he worries Trump is putting a target on the backs of Jewish Americans, Emhoff said: “He is. I mean, take him at his word. He lies about a lot of things, but you’ve got to take him at his word on things like this.”
Trump’s refusal to disavow Robinson is ‘pure cowardice’
Emhoff also shared his unvarnished thoughts about North Carolina GOP gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson’s racist comments and Trump’s refusal to disavow him, saying “it’s pure cowardice” and adding that Robinson is “clearly unfit [and] unhinged.”
“The fact that Donald Trump was right here in Wilmington, right where I’m sitting, where he couldn’t disavow Mark Robinson … it’s just shameful,” Emhoff said. “Donald Trump’s the guy who said, ‘This guy is a star.’ He said, ‘He’s Martin Luther King Jr. on steroids.’ [He] hasn’t disavowed any of that. … Those are the types of candidates that he’s supporting, and we can’t have it. This shows you yet another of the many, many examples of why Donald Trump is just unfit for any job, let alone president of the United States.”
Jen Psaki’s full interview with Doug Emhoff will air at 12 p.m. ET Sunday on “Inside with Jen Psaki.”
Kathryn Kline
Production assistant, “Inside with Jen Psaki”
Politics
Former Rep. Mary Peltola jumps into Alaska Senate race
Former Rep. Mary Peltola entered the Alaska Senate race on Monday, giving Democrats a major candidate recruitment win and the chance to expand the 2026 Senate map as they look for a route to the majority.
The Alaska Democrat’s decision is a victory for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who recruited Peltola to run against Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). Peltola’s brand as a moderate problem-solver and the state’s ranked-choice voting system open the door for Democrats, but it’s still a steep climb in a state President Donald Trump won by 13 percentage points in 2024.
In her announcement video, Peltola pledged to focus on “fish, family and freedom,” while also calling for term limits and putting “Alaska first.”
“Systemic change is the only way to bring down grocery costs, save our fisheries, lower energy prices and build new housing Alaskans can afford,” Peltola said. “It’s about time Alaskans teach the rest of the country what Alaska First and, really, America First looks like.”
Peltola’s campaign creates another offensive opportunity in play for Democrats, who must flip four seats in order to retake the majority next fall. The odds are long, but Democrats have become increasingly bullish about their chances since their victories in last year’s elections. Peltola carved a moderate profile during her time in Congress, occasionally voting with Republicans on energy and immigration-related legislation.
Even so, Peltola’s decision to run Alaska presents tough sledding for any Democrat. Peltola’s 2022 wins came in large part because of a bitterly divided GOP field, and besides her victories that year, Democrats have won just one other federal race in Alaska in the last half-century.
Democrats have an easier time winning if Republicans fracture between candidates in a state where ranked-choice voting means every candidate faces off against each other in the first round of voting, and Sullivan has not drawn any serious GOP challengers.
Peltola was first elected in a September 2022 special election to replace Rep. Don Young, who served 49 years in the House and died while in office. She cited Young and former Sen. Ted Stevens, both Republicans, in her Senate announcement, who Peltola said “ignored Lower 48 partisanship to fight for things like public media and disaster relief because Alaska depends on them.”
In November 2022, Peltola won a full term, beating a divided Republican field that featured former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Nick Begich. But in 2024, Peltola narrowly lost in a rematch with Begich, when the Republican Party consolidated behind him. She had also been mulling a run for governor this year, making her decision to go for the Senate a big win for Washington Democrats.
Peltola was the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress, and should she win this race would be the first to serve in the Senate.
Politics
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