Former White House official Rahm Emanuel floats 2028 presidential bid: 'I am in training'

Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, a Democrat, on Wednesday indicated that he was open to returning to Washington, D.C., as the commander-in-chief in 2028, stating he was "in training" for the next election.

Emanuel is a powerful figure in Democratic politics, having served as the Ambassador to Japan under the Biden administration, and as White House chief of staff during the Obama administration. He also represented Illinois in the House for two terms, and was the mayor of Chicago from 2011-2019. 

The Democrat did not specifically state that he was running, but appeared to try to sound presidential during an interview with ABC's "The View."

“The American dream is unaffordable. The American dream is inaccessible,” Emanuel said. “That should be unacceptable to all of us … Everybody in this audience, they just want one thing — for their kids to have a shot and the problem is Washington has given them the shaft and that is wrong.”

One of the program's hosts said the response made Emanuel sound like a presidential contender, to which he replied that he was "in training — I don’t know if I’ll make the Olympics."

Emanuel has also not ruled out running for other high-level offices over the next couple of years, including for Illinois governor in 2026. He could also run for Chicago mayor in 2027, or seek Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin's seat next year.

 Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.