Emanuel visits New Hampshire as he considers presidential run
By Adam Sexton, WMUR
Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was firing off policy proposals everywhere he stopped during his first visit to New Hampshire.
Emanuel said he’s considering a run for president in 2028, and he’s ready for a fight.
“Nobody walked into the ring with Rahm Emanuel that didn’t walk out with a broken nose,” Emanuel said.
With the subtlety of a persistent left jab, Emanuel made his presence known in the Granite State, from a “Stand Up New Hampshire” town hall in which he spoke out against illegal immigration to an education roundtable at Franklin High School with U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander to “Politics and Eggs” with the New England Council.
“Whatever you think of this war – whatever you think of it – the 50,000 men and women that have been sent by the commander-in-chief, they have been selfless in their sacrifice, and they have served in the interests of America. That means something,” Emanuel said. “They deserve a commander-in-chief as serious about the responsibilities that they are about to execute.”
Whether the former mayor of Chicago might be that kind of commander-in-chief could be a question for 2028. In a one-on-one interview, Emanuel said he wants to hear from the American people first.
“I think going around the country, in all parts of the country, there’s an angst, anxiety, anger, frustration, a disappointment, a sense of betrayal,” Emanuel said. “Washington has turned its back on the American people and, most importantly, their hopes. They haven’t lost faith with America, but the leaders of America have lost faith with the American people. Do I have what it takes to answer that?”
From the “straight talk express” to “telling it like it is,” New Hampshire has always been fertile ground for blunt, plainspoken political communicators. Emanuel is already putting himself squarely in that lane.
“Look, he’s right to the point,” said former state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro. “He tells his story straight from the shoulder, and he’s been around.”
Emanuel will likely return to New Hampshire in the months ahead.