Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is predicting that Democrat power player Rahm Emanuel will launch a bid for the White House — and he hasn't ruled that out yet himself.
"I think so," the California Democrat replied about Emanuel, when asked as part of an interview from The Free Press with Emanuel, whose expansive resume has included stints as a senior advisor under President Bill Clinton; chief of staff to President Barack Obama, mayor of Chicago and a U.S. ambassador to Japan under President Joe Biden.
And Emanuel talked around the issue in the interview, published Friday, but said he hasn't made his decision yet about whether, rather than working for presidents, he wants to become one.
"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 said, later adding that he knows what he wants to do.
"We've got to get ready to fight for America — and that's what I'm going to do," he said.
Speculation about Emanuel running in 2028 has been growing in recent months, considering his comments about the direction of the Democratic Party and its losses in the 2024 election cycle, including former Vice President Kamala Harris' loss to President Donald Trump.
And Emanuel, at 65, still has strong ambitions politically, telling The Free Press that he is "not done with public service" and that he's "hoping it's not done with me."
Former Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., who worked with Emanuel on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Emanuel has "world-class experience."
The Democratic Party, he told The Hill, needs "a candidate who can formulate a proactive agenda. We can't be limited to 'I'm not Trump.'"
Israel also said that Pelosi and Emanuel have figured out a strategy that will win red districts while getting the base out in blue and purple districts as well.
"He's proven his ability to unite Democrats," Israel said.
But Emanuel, when asked about whether Democrats have a trust issue, said that the party can't get distracted by cultural issues "and lose sight of what Americans care about and what impacts them, which is a shot at the American dream."
"We have to be able to stand up to the interest groups. We can't look weak and woke," he added. "We need to be grounded and centered."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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