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Doug Emhoff says he's never won a debate against Kamala Harris

Doug Emhoff and Kamala Harris hug.
Doug Emhoff and Kamala Harris. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
  • Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff have been married for 10 years.
  • Both were high-powered lawyers — Harris was attorney general and Emhoff worked in entertainment law.
  • In an interview with "Pod Save America," Emhoff said he's never won a debate against Harris.
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Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, were both accomplished lawyers before entering politics, and Emhoff shared in a new interview with "Pod Save America" that their debates as a couple can be reminiscent of a courtroom.

On an episode released Thursday, "Pod Save America" cohost Tommy Vietor asked Emhoff about the upcoming presidential debate between Harris and former President Donald Trump.

"I assume no one has debated with her more often than you have," Vietor said. "What should we expect? What should we look for?"

"I haven't won one," Emhoff said of debating Harris.

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Kamala Harris debates Mike Pence in 2020.
Kamala Harris faced off against Mike Pence at the vice presidential debate in 2020. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

Emhoff went on to call Harris a "great debater" and "first-class trial lawyer."

"It's not like we're in a debate, but I realize if we're talking about something, any really good lawyer will lay little traps for you along the way, and as I'm going through this discussion about some husband-wife thing, I say 'Oh, that's what you're doing!'" he said. "I was a pretty good trial lawyer too."

Before entering politics, Harris served as district attorney of San Francisco and attorney general of California, while Emhoff was a partner at DLA Piper in Los Angeles specializing in intellectual property and entertainment and media law. In August, Harris and Emhoff celebrated their 10-year anniversary at the Democratic National Convention, where Harris accepted the presidential nomination.

She will face off against Trump on September 10 in a debate hosted by ABC News. The campaigns have traded barbs while negotiating the host network and rules of the debate, such as whether their microphones will stay unmuted.

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"It's Donald Trump, so who the hell knows what you're going to get, but I know from her she's going to be talking about us, she's going to be talking about the American people," Emhoff said.

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Doug Emhoff Kamala Harris Podcast
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