Trump names Witkoff’s son to Holocaust board after removing Kamala Harris’s husband

US President Donald Trump has appointed Alex Whitkoff, the son of special envoy Steve Whitkoff, to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the governing body of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The appointment follows the removal of several Biden-era members, including Doug Emhoff, the husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris, Caliber.Az reports.

Trump announced the new appointments in a statement on Truth Social, writing:

“It is my pleasure to announce the appointments of Betty Schwartz, Fred Marcus, Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz, Sid Rosenberg, Ariel Abergel, Barbara Feingold, Alex Witkoff, and Robert Garson to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. This Council has the important task of preserving the memories and stories of the loved ones whose lives were robbed in one of the darkest moments in History. NEVER FORGET!”

The removal of Emhoff and others has sparked criticism, particularly from Emhoff himself, who had played a visible role in the Biden administration’s initiatives to combat antisemitism. Confirming his dismissal on April 29, Emhoff called the decision an inappropriate politicisation of a sacred institution.

“I will continue to speak out, to educate, and to fight hate in all its forms – because silence is never an option,” Emhoff said in a statement. “No divisive political decision will ever shake my commitment to Holocaust remembrance and education or to combating hate and antisemitism.”

Emhoff, who is Jewish, had been appointed to the council earlier this year. His removal comes just a day before Kamala Harris is scheduled to deliver her first major public address since leaving office, during which she is expected to criticise the Trump administration’s recent moves.

Several other prominent Biden-era appointees were also dismissed from the council. These include former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, former UN Ambassador Susan Rice, former Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, former Labor Secretary Tom Perez, former US Ambassador to Spain and Andorra Alan Solomont, Mary Zients (wife of former Biden Chief of Staff Jeff Zients), and Anthony Bernal, a longtime adviser to former First Lady Jill Biden.

By Tamilla Hasanova