Early in the evening, White House reporter, Kathryn Watson ironically tweeted out, we
may not get,
"extended commentary on Doug's outfit tonight."
She's not exactly right. For what it's worth, reporter Joshua Eaton thought to criticize
Doug Emhoff's "loose four-in-hand, no dimple," ti--e, tweeting, "it's upsetting." Well, not
as upsetting as calling the second gentleman by the wrong name… but more on that in a
bit. Questionable tie etiquette aside, from his seat next to First Lady Jill Biden, Emhoff
gave us all a masterclass on what being a supportive second gentleman is all about.
While waiting for President Biden to give his first speech to congress, Emhoff got to
witness something few others in the United States got to in person: two women standing
behind the president as he addressed congress.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi celebrated the occasion
themselves, with a small hand shake and an elbow bump. Emhoff, meanwhile, who entered
the room without applause, took his seat, and gave his wife a bit of TLC to acknowledge
the moment.
Twitter was quick to document the moment. Doug Emhoff blew VP Kamala Harris at least
11 kisses ahead of Joe Biden's speech to Congress, and patted his heart, lovingly, at least four
times. Needless to say, social media knows a good show of affection when it sees it.
One onlooker tweeted,
"He's so cute with how he adores her."
Another exclaimed on Twitter,
"OMG that's relationship goals right there!"
A third gushed,
"Seeing Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff touch his heart [and] blow kisses to VP Harris is
just so much to me!!! What a night,"
There was another adorable point - Second Gentlemen Doug Emhoff and First Lady Jill
Biden stood up to applaud each other.
On the campaign trail, Vice President Kamala Harris's husband was known simply as Doug
Emhoff. His Twitter handle was @DouglasEmhoff but the corresponding name was simply "Doug."
The webpage from his most recent law firm, DLA Piper, also lists him as "Doug," though
his corresponding email address is under "Douglas."
According to Politico, a high school classmate confirmed he's always gone by "Doug." Meanwhile,
the VP calls her hubby "Dougie." However, similar to Kate Middleton becoming Catherine
when she entered the royal family, Doug Emhoff is now Douglas Emhoff on account of his being
a Second Gentleman.
Just a week before President Joe Biden was sworn in, word came from within the administration
that Harris's husband would now be going by the more formal Douglas. His Twitter name,
similarly, has been updated to "Douglas" too. The White House website also lists him as
"Douglas." A former staffer suggested Emhoff wishes to look more serious, after his laidback
performance on the campaign trail.
The source revealed,
"The goofiness is a bit of a persona. He actually is a very serious person."
A spokesperson described the story as "bizarre," noting simply,
"His name is Douglas Emhoff so I think as he is stepping into this public role it's
not surprising that they would list his full name on the White House website."
However, the president is listed as "Joe Biden," rather than "Joseph," muddying the waters
somewhat. Regardless, it seems like Douglas and his VP wife are certainly soaking up all
the love in D.C.
It probably doesn’t hurt that they finally have a semi-permanent residence in the Capital.
The couple are enjoying considerably more privacy and space at the swanky One Observatory
Circle, after residing at Blair House - the guest house across the street from the White
House, for the first months of her term. The new property reportedly sits on 73 private
acres in the upmarket Massachusetts Avenue Heights neighborhood.
Reportedly, Harris was irritated by the delay with moving into their new home, with updates
on the building holding the move up considerably. Now, she and Emhoff are finally settled with
their furniture and artwork from California delivered. Harris does miss her short commute
to work however, but overall, as an official confirmed,
"They are happy to be there."
The move to D.C. was understandably a big one for Harris and Emhoff, who were working
in their respective roles in California for years. Still, they get much more time together
these days with the Second Gentleman teaching classes at Georgetown University.
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