Rahm Emanuel Disavows Far-Left Socialists, Says They're Not 'Part of the Democratic Party'
Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said Sunday that Democratic Socialists are completely separate from the Democratic Party and hold radical views on many major issues.
Emanuel, a Democrat who served in the Obama administration before becoming mayor of Chicago in 2011, appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” where host Shannon Bream asked about the recent trend of socialist candidates within his party.
“I want to get your take. You know, Bernie Sanders is part of this group too, and he says, ‘People are sick and tired of the Rahm Emanuels.’ They say the energy is not with the people of the past,” Bream stated. “It’s moving forward with socialism. Your response?”
“Well, here’s the thing, I don’t consider Democratic Socialists part of the Democratic Party,” Emanuel replied. “About four weeks ago, they had a convention in Chicago, separate party. They believe in defunding the police, letting prisoners out of prisons, opening the borders, eliminating the Pentagon. If you’re so confident people want that, I’ll see you in November. Put it on the ballot.”
“Let’s go, run as a separate party,” he added.
Emanuel said the Democratic Party is not “open to be taken over,” but did note that there is “a progressive wing and a pragmatic wing.”
“Now, we agree that the system is rigged against working-class, middle-class families,” he continued. “Agree with that. How will you fix that problem to make sure that the American dream of owning a home, saving for your retirement, saving for your kids’ education, and that your health care is not a nightmare, but a peace of mind? How we get that? Well, we’ll have a good, solid debate about that.”
Emanuel made a strong statement against the socialist wing of his party by praising far-left progressives like former President Barack Obama and former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, calling them moderate by comparison.
“I give the progressives credit,” he declared. “They have been out there with ideas. Some I agree, some I disagree with. But the pragmatic wing, which is one of the reasons I’ve been talking about education, banning anybody from public office after — and all three branches of government — at the age of 75, you are done. Banning social media for kids under 16, what you have to do to invest in our energy infrastructure to make sure we’re a 21st-century economy with a 21st-century infrastructure.”
“Now, I happen to think President Clinton and President Obama, who I work for, and Nancy Pelosi, who I helped make speaker, they led the right way,” Emanuel added.
“The last time the minimum wage increased, Nancy Pelosi had the gavel. There’s no way you’re going to get there turning a blue district to midnight blue. You gotta flip red to blue, win red states and turn them blue. That is how it happens.”
This isn’t the first time Emanuel has gotten media coverage for speaking out against his own party.
In late March, Politico ran an article titled: “Democrats Have a Rahm Emanuel Problem,” in which he is described as a potential 2028 candidate for the White House.
The piece highlighted how such a candidacy would likely fracture the party, even if Emanuel doesn’t become a frontrunner.
“His pugilism and his critique of the party’s leftward lurch will create a gauntlet his would-be rivals will have to navigate,” the story read. “And years in politics — plus countless hours on CNN — have helped him further hone his sharp-edged debate blade.”
The outlet noted that Rebecca Katz, the Democratic strategist who represented Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral campaign, gave a curt and negative reply when asked about Emanuel’s potential White House campaign.
Whether he runs or not, Emanuel told Politico he thinks it’s anybody’s game and that the Democratic nomination is up for grabs.
“It’s a jump ball,” he concluded. “Even for the frontrunner, it’s a jump ball.”
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