This post was updated Oct. 18 at 9:56 a.m.

Second Gentleman of the United States Douglas Emhoff gave remarks at a Century City campaign reception Oct. 8, testifying to his wife Vice President Kamala Harris’ fitness for office.

Emhoff spoke in Los Angeles during a brief stop before traveling to campaign in Arizona, a key battleground state in the 2024 presidential race. In his speech – one of few by a key presidential campaign surrogate in LA – Emhoff shared personal anecdotes to characterize Harris as an empathetic, steady leader while simultaneously painting former President Donald Trump as a self-interested candidate.

Former Speaker of the California State Assembly Fabian Núñez introduced Emhoff by discussing his contributions to Harris’ campaign.

In his speech, Núñez suggested that Emhoff’s choice to highlight his connection to his family – specifically his role as a father and husband – has contributed to Harris’ rising approval ratings. He added that it is inspiring to see a woman running for president with her husband supporting her.

“Never before have we seen the spouse of the candidate raise as much money as Doug,” Núñez said. “Kamala, on her own two feet, has done it and has done a great job as a candidate, but Doug has really done a wonderful job, a magnificent job being out there on the campaign trail for Kamala. She couldn’t have a better partner in this fight.”

In his speech, Emhoff said his and Harris’ paths have scarcely crossed since she became the nominee, noting her constant media appearances and campaign events. He added that, to keep campaign enthusiasm up, Harris has made several media appearances, including on “The View,” “The Howard Stern Show” and “Call Her Daddy,” a podcast popular among young women.

“You’re feeling the energy, the excitement and you’re seeing it,” Emhoff said in his speech.

Ramesh Srinivasan, a professor of information studies at UCLA, said Harris’ choice to appear on podcasts including “Call Her Daddy” is a strategic way to engage with an increasingly popular form of media. He added that, in 2024, social media is a tool politicians must leverage to win elections.

“Given the realities of our media and technology and where people access news and information, and just everything in life, social media is indispensable,” Srinivasan said. “Podcasts are also part of this larger internet world – you reach a lot of people.”

Srinivasan also said that the spread of memes on social media, including impressions of candidates on “Saturday Night Live” and clips of candidates on TikTok, can contribute to the growth of political campaigns. Emhoff struck a more lighthearted note when addressing his portrayal on “SNL” by comedian Andy Samberg, stating that while he believed the impression was better than Martin Short’s, it still was not accurate.

Emhoff said during the event that the momentum surrounding his wife’s campaign is uniquely multigenerational, claiming that voters of all ages have come to realize the high stakes of the election. Emhoff characterized Trump as a “more dangerous” version of himself in 2016 and claimed that he has no interest in serving the American people.

To substantiate this claim, Emhoff cited Trump’s response to Hurricane Helene, which he said included falsely stating that Harris spent Federal Emergency Management Agency aid on housing undocumented immigrants and that President Joe Biden had failed to respond to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s phone calls.

“To lie about what’s happening in North Carolina – it’s shameful,” he said in the speech. “This is literally using a natural disaster where people have died for political benefit rather than just to help people.”

Later in the speech, Emhoff discussed Harris’ decision to serve as the Democratic Party nominee following President Biden’s choice to exit the race. He said Harris is a leader who stepped up without question, proving her readiness to serve as president.

“She had to go out there and unite the country, which she’s doing, and she’s had to go out there and convince the American public that she is ready to be president on day one,” he said. “Those of us who know us, they asked me, ‘Well, did you see this coming?’ I’m like, ‘Hell yes.’”

Emhoff also emphasized the importance of political participation in electing Harris, adding that Harris’ supporters need to support the campaign by knocking on doors and sending text messages to those in the seven key battleground states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

“It’s going to be close in these states,” he said. “You folks right here: You can dictate whether she wins or not by knocking on those doors, by sending out those messages, by raising that extra money, by traveling.”

Trump’s running mate JD Vance also received criticism in Emhoff’s speech for his characterization of the 2020 election as a “peaceful transfer of power” after the Jan. 6, 2021 capitol riot, which left five dead. Emhoff recalled receiving warnings from those around him that attending President Biden’s inauguration could put him and Harris in physical danger.

Emhoff, who identifies as Jewish, also claimed that Trump did not support the American Jewish community in the wake of militant group and Palestinian political party Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. He reiterated that Harris would also defend Israel and the Jewish community within America.

“You know her,” he said in the speech. “I can’t believe I have to say, ‘She’s good on Jews and Israel, because I’m married to her.’”

The Biden-Harris administration has previously received criticism from pro-Palestine groups including Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA, who say they have not done enough to support humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip.

Finally, Emhoff spoke on Harris’ ability to unite the country across party lines, citing the endorsement she recently received from former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney. He added that, while she and Cheney disagree on certain policy platforms, she acknowledges that Harris is a leader who will stand up for the U.S. on the world stage.

“People like Liz might say, ‘Look, I don’t agree with her on everything, but we agree on the big stuff, who we are as Americans, our Constitution, our rule of law,’” he said in the speech. “She’s going to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies, and she’s going to stand up for American values.”