PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is adding further fuel to speculation that Rahm Emanuel will pursue a 2028 presidential bid.
👥 Who’s Involved: Nancy Pelosi, Rahm Emanuel, and journalist Peter Savodnik.
📍 Where & When: Interview published Friday, May 23, 2025, with Emanuel potentially launching a bid for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.
💬 Key Quote: Emanuel stated, “I’m not done with public service. I’m hoping it’s not done with me.”
⚠️ Impact: A 2028 presidential bid by Rahm Emanuel could shift the Democratic Party back towards Clintonism, though the former Chicago mayor could face stiff competition from progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
IN FULL:
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has hinted that Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor and Joe Biden’s ambassador to Japan, could be planning a 2028 presidential campaign. In an interview published Friday, the 85-year-old California Democrat provided the latest fuel to recent speculation that Emanuel could launch a bid for the White House, stating: “I think he’s going to run.”
The interview was part of a feature published by The Free Press entitled, “President Rahm Emanuel? He Thinks So.” The National Pulse has previously reported that Emanuel is eyeing a presidential run, taking care to distance himself from allegations that Democrat aides covered up former President Joe Biden’s cognitive and physical decline.
In the same story with Pelosi, Emanuel told journalist Peter Savodnik, “I’m not done with public service. I’m hoping it’s not done with me.” However, when asked directly about a potential White House bid, Emanuel remained noncommittal, saying, “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.”
The former Clinton White House aide, who infamously threw steak knives into a table while listing Democrat donors he believed had abandoned Bill Clinton and shouting “Dead!” during a 1992 presidential election fundraiser, appears to have retained his cutthroat edge. When asked by Savodnik about Biden’s health, Emanuel quipped, “I don’t have prostate cancer.”