Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said on NBC’s Meet the Press that America is ready to elect its first Jewish president, while indicating he is weighing a 2028 Democratic bid. The remarks were aired Sunday, according to the source.
“My faith is not your problem”
Asked by moderator Kristen Welker if the country is ready for a Jewish president, Emanuel replied yes, then shifted to what he called a deeper issue. “My faith is not your problem,” he said. “The fact that Americans have lost faith in America, that’s our problem.”
He added: “If my faith is a problem for you, don’t vote for me. I’m not changing my faith.” Emanuel pointed to past fights he said were shaped by his beliefs, naming insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and what he called a failed education bureaucracy.
2028 on the table
Emanuel has increasingly fueled speculation about a 2028 run. “If I decide to run, that is our collective mission, is to restore that faith,” he said on Meet the Press, per the source. The comments followed earlier chatter about his ambitions at the Texas Tribune Festival, according to the source.
GOP pushback
Elizabeth Barcohana, chair of the California Republican Party’s Subcommittee for Jewish Engagement, rejected Emanuel’s comments in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying, “He sounds pathetic,” per the source.
Background
Emanuel has served as a Democratic congressman, White House chief of staff under President Barack Obama, mayor of Chicago, and U.S. ambassador to Japan under President Joe Biden, according to the source.
