Former Obama-era White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is offering advice to the Democratic Party as he reportedly considers a 2028 presidential run: move away from focusing on cultural issues if the party hopes to win future elections.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Monday, the former Chicago mayor and Illinois congressman called his party’s brand “toxic” as well as “weak and woke.”
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“I’m tired of sitting in the back seat when somebody’s gunning it at 90 miles an hour for a cliff,” he said. “If you want the country to give you the keys to the car, somebody’s got to be articulating an agenda that’s fighting for America, not just fighting Trump.”
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Emanuel has also called the party “weak and woke” in recent weeks.
“We can’t get distracted by the cultural issues and lose sight of what Americans care about and what impacts them, which is a shot at the American dream,” he told the Free Press in an interview published Friday. “We have to be able to stand up to the interest groups. We can’t look weak and woke, we need to be grounded and centered.”
Emanuel is reportedly weighing a 2028 presidential run, telling the Free Press: “Before I make a decision, I want to know that I have an answer to what I think ails our country, ails our politics, and ails the party — and they may all be the same answer.”
He’s also reportedly considering a bid for Illinois governor if current Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL), one of his friends, does not run for a third term in the 2026 election.
When the Wall Street Journal asked about the possibility of pursuing the Democratic presidential nomination against Pritzker, he said, “Of course it would be awkward.”
“We’re friends. He has something he wants to offer. I have something I want to offer,” Emanuel said.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she believes Emanuel, who most recently served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan, will run for president.