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MANCHESTER, NH – Rahm Emanuel dismisses the Democratic Party’s identity debate and insists that the race for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 should be about ideology, not gender.
The former Chicago mayor and White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama is considering the White House for himself in 2028 in the race to succeed Republican President Donald Trump. But in a party that has made diversity one of its core principles, Emanuel will have to face the question: will the Democratic Party elect a straight White male to represent it?
Emanuel told Fox News Digital on Monday that Democrats should be asking potential presidential candidates completely different questions, such as: “Do you have ideas on how to make sure the American Dream is alive, well, accessible and affordable for another generation?”
POTENTIAL 2028 DEMOCRATIC CHARACTER PROPOSED BY POWERFUL POLITICS PENSIONER.
Former first lady Michelle Obama lamented on a podcast late last year that the US was not ready to have a female president. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty)
After Trump’s 2024 defeat to former Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Michelle Obama made headlines late last year when she insisted in a YouTube interview that the US “still has a lot of growing to do” and that the nation is “not ready to have a woman” as president.
And former President Joe Biden, in an interview last year on “The View,” said Harris lost to Trump because of sexism and racism.
Harris was the second female Democratic presidential nominee to reach Trump, following Hillary Clinton’s defeat in the 2016 election.
That has some in the Democratic Party suggesting that in order to retake the White House in 2028, it would be better for the party to appoint a White man as their general manager.
THE RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE CONTINUES: AS IN THE 2026 GAME, BOTH TEAMS HAVE ALREADY PLAYED 2028.
While Democrats pride themselves on the diversity of their party, an Axios article this past weekend, titled “The Dems’ 2028 strategy: a straight, white, Christian man,” included quotes from party staffers and strategists suggesting that segments of the American electorate are heavily biased toward supporting a woman or a different presidential candidate.
Emanuel denies it.
“The most important thing is the voter’s take. They will make a decision. And so to me, that is a wrong thing. The question is, do you have ideas that address the challenges facing America, regardless of who is speaking,” he said.
Former US ambassador Rahm Emanuel, former mayor of Chicago who served as White House chief of staff in the administration of then President Barack Obama and former member of the US House, speaks at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, March 30, 2026, in Manchester, NH. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Emanuel spoke to Fox News and other news organizations after the subject of “Politics and Eggs,” a speaking series at Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics that should stop White House hopefuls visiting the centenary of the first presidential race for the White House. And hours earlier, on Sunday evening, he was the main attraction at the latest “Stand Up New Hampshire” town hall hosted by top Democratic activists.
Emanuel has been criss-crossing the country in recent months, as he considers a presidential bid, including stops in two other key primary states, Nevada and South Carolina, where he heads later this week.
He said he will become president “if I think I have what it takes to answer what I think is ailing the greatest country.”
Emanuel, who hails from the center-left, insisted that in order to win in 2028, Democrats must “unify and center themselves, tighten the border, put more police, get kids, guns and gangs off the street, and invest in educational opportunities.”
“Go to the core of what they expect from us and don’t get caught up in some cultural events that go nowhere,” he added.
Presumptive 2028 Democratic presidential candidate Rahm Emanuel greets audience members at ‘Politics and Eggs,’ a speaking series at Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics, March 30, 2026, in Manchester. NH (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
As Democrats look for a contender in 2028 to win the White House, Emanuel is showing his dark side.
“These are tough times that require a strong leader who knows how to do tough things and do them on behalf of the American people. That’s the measure,” he told Fox News Digital.
And Emanuel has repeatedly targeted Trump and his administration for their handling of the president’s efforts to recover Greenland and the months-long strikes against Iran.
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“It’s a war of choice, and a bad choice,” Emanuel said of Trump. “He could get everything he wants without going to war.”
And taking another shot, he said, “If they ever do a sequel to ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ I have recommendations for the lead roles, and there’s a lot of competition in this administration.”
