PARIS (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, took time out of his Olympic duties as head of the U.S. delegation to the closing ceremony in Paris to rally a group of enthusiastic donors Thursday evening, telling them his wife was “ready” and heaping praise on her newly minted running mate, Tim Walz.
He also said he “cannot wait” to see his wife debate Donald Trump. ABC said Harris and Trump have agreed to a Sept. 10 debate.
The private fundraiser held in the French capital’s tony 16th arrondissement was hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s mother, Judith Pisar, the widow of Holocaust survivor Samuel Pisar, who died in 2015. Organizers said it had raised $285,000.
Emhoff, who began his day speaking out against antisemitism at UNESCO and was on his way later to watch the U.S. men’s basketball team play Serbia, praised his wife and said she’d been an avid cheerleader for him, just as he was for her.
And he was quick to highlight her choice of Walz, the Minnesota governor.
“We have our ticket!” he said to cheers. “She made the right choice,” he added. “You see the chemistry between them.”
He spoke of Walz’s accomplishments and said, “What a resume!”
Of Harris, Emhoff said the Democratic presidential nominee was “ready” when President Joe Biden made his decision not to run for reelection. He described for the crowd her duties and accomplishments as vice president and also said affectionately that he loved her laugh.
“This is about our country’s future and the world’s future,” he said, urging the friendly crowd not to get “too comfortable” in the 89 days before the election.
Earlier, the second gentleman took part in a UNESCO roundtable, in which he said the Biden administration is working with Congress to support a $2.2 million grant for UNESCO’s international program on Holocaust and genocide education.
“UNESCO plays a vital role in ensuring that Holocaust education is taught and used to combat antisemitism all around the world,” he said. “And in the wake of the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack against Israel where hostages were taken, this work has never been more urgent.”
Emhoff will stay in Paris through Sunday’s closing ceremonies at the Stade de France.