CHICAGO — Rahm Emanuel wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled How to Lose Friends and Alienate Allies in which he argued that progressive Democrats constitute a separate party from mainstream Democrats. In the piece, Emanuel wrote that 'Bernie bros' could spoil the midterms by pursuing tactics he views as counterproductive to electoral success.

he stated he does not believe progressive Democrats should use the Democratic Party as a vehicle because he considers them a separate political entity. He emphasized a strategy focused on competitive races rather than ideological purity in safe seats. "Well, here's what I would say to you.. I'm about flipping red districts to blue; I'm not about taking blue districts and making them midnight blue," he said.

He added that winning over existing Democratic strongholds is not the path to legislative gains such as a minimum wage increase. "You want to see a raise in the minimum wage? Winning over Democratic districts is not the way to get it there," he said.

Beyond internal party dynamics, Emanuel accused President Donald Trump and his administration of dirty business deals and corruption. He described the president's financial gains as a breach of public trust. "They're just out there taking money left and right. The president of the United States is $4 billion richer, and you're $4 trillion poorer. And I think that this is a travesty of his Constitutional responsibilities, let alone the responsibilities of what he's done. He wants a ballroom, you're gonna get the bill. He wants his $450 million Qatari plane, you get $4.50 a gallon. He's building an arch, and your family can't afford a meal at the Golden Arches. So that, to me, is the indictment to make, Emanuel said."

He further remarked that Trump's actions would shame local politicians. He'd make an alderman in Chicago blush for the kind of corruption he's doing," he said."

Emanuel also outlined policy positions that diverge from some progressive platforms, stating he does not believe in defunding police or supporting open borders. When asked about potential leadership roles, he dismissed the speculation. "First of all, it's a hypothetical. And let me break the news to you -- the calls haven't come in. And everybody knows the number! So, I don't see that happening. Look, there's fundamental differences. And I'm comfortable with that," he said.

Last month, Emanuel spoke in Tel Aviv, where he was sharply critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He called for a peace deal featuring "Palestinian dignity" and "Israeli security." he warned that military reliance on U.S. support must be balanced with diplomatic progress. "You cannot fight indefinitely against a world that has stopped believing you have a right to fight. You must instead find a new sustainable path to peace, security and prosperity," he said.

His father, Mayer Emanuel, was born in Jerusalem in 1920 and fought in Israel's War of Independence in 1948. Despite his criticism of the Israeli government, Emanuel distinguished between policy disagreements and prejudice. "You don't have to agree with the Israeli government to be concerned with the rise of antisemitism in America, and more than the antisemitism which always existed, the way it's being manifested with violence and killing. And for all of us, regardless of our positions, whether it's expressions of anti-Muslim attitudes, as some members of Congress have done, or whether it's encouraging or creating an environment that's conducive to antisemitism, or not calling out antisemitism when you should call it out so that in fact it doesn't become violent, he said."

Emanuel, who is Jewish, noted that his relatives perished in Russian pogroms and the Holocaust. He recalled his grandparents fleeing persecution in 1914. In our family room there was a wall. In the center of the wall was my grandmother's little pushka, the little purse, framed. And above it in the frame was Grandma, and Auntie Ida, and Auntie Gitti's passports. That's what brought them to this country in 1914. And on either side of that was a picture of relatives of Mom and Dad, who never made it to America. And it was my parents' reminder to us daily that, 'You are the fortunate few. You're not to be frivolous with this. And you have a responsibility to make other people's lives better,'" Emanuel said."

He served as United States ambassador to Japan from 2022 to 2025, following terms as a congressman and White House chief of staff under President Barack Obama. During his eight years as mayor of Chicago, he helped expand the Chicago Riverwalk. "All along this Riverwalk, one mile, you have people from all parts of this city, and guess what, all parts of the country and all parts of the world," he said. Now 66, Emanuel expressed a continued commitment to public engagement. "I'm at a point in my life where I'm gonna leave it all on the field. I think this is a great country. I am the son and the grandson of an immigrant. I think being an American is winning the lottery ticket of life. And I look at a country that I know, that I love, and the passion, that has lost its nerve, has basically raised the white flag. And I'm not about that. And so, given that this is a great country, given everything that I have, sure, could I hang up the jersey? That's not what I'm about," he said.