President Trump has fired members of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s board who were appointed by former President Joe Biden, including former second gentleman Doug Emhoff, according to former board members.
Ron Klain, once Biden’s chief of staff, told CBS News he and all others appointed to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council in early 2025 by Biden have been fired. Biden appointed 12 people to the 68-member board in January before leaving office. The New York Times first reported the firings.
“Today, I was informed of my removal from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council,” Emhoff, who is Jewish, said in a statement. “Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized. To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous — and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.”
“No divisive political decision will ever shake my commitment to Holocaust remembrance and education or to combatting hate and antisemitism,” Emhoff also said. “I will continue to speak out, to educate, and to fight hate in all its forms — because silence is never an option.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, “President Trump looks forward to appointing new individuals who will not only continue to honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, but who are also steadfast supporters of the State of Israel.”
The Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., founded in 1980, is meant to honor victims of the Holocaust and preserve the history of its horrors for future generations.
“Through the power of Holocaust history, the museum challenges leaders and individuals worldwide to think critically about their role in society and to confront antisemitism and other forms of hate, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity,” the museum said in announcing Biden’s latest appointees in January.
