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Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor and White House chief of staff, is urging fellow Democrats not to pursue impeachment of President Donald Trump if the party wins control of the House next month.
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Shop NowEmanuel made the case Sunday on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Fox News reported. Asked about impeaching Trump, he answered directly.
“Short answer: No, because it’s not going anywhere, and it’s going to be a food fight, and it’s just going to be we return to the politics of fighting,” Emanuel said.
He argued that an impeachment effort would fail and would confirm voters’ low opinion of the capital. “You’re never going to get an impeachment,” he said. “Then if you do that, you just basically prove all Washington is what the American people think. It’s Disneyland on the Potomac.”
Emanuel did not argue against scrutiny of the administration.
He said Democrats should instead pursue ethics reform, with investigations feeding into legislation. “Deliver the change. Deliver a comprehensive ethics package that uses the investigations to then deliver change,” he said.
His comments were tactical advice to his own party, not an endorsement of the president.
In a separate exchange with Fox News Digital about a Michigan Senate race, Emanuel said, “I support the Democrats winning the Senate.”
The remarks land in the final weeks before the midterm elections. Fox News reported that Democrats are projected to win 215 House seats to 201 for Republicans, with 19 races rated toss-ups.
By that count, Democrats would need three of the toss-ups to secure a majority, while Republicans would need at least 17. The article did not identify the source of the projection.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has not committed either way on impeachment. “We haven’t ruled anything in or ruled anything out in terms of accountability,” Jeffries told NBC in June. “What we have said is that our focus is going to be to make life more affordable for the American people.”
Emanuel, who served two terms as Chicago’s mayor and was chief of staff to former President Barack Obama, is described by Fox as one of several prominent Democrats rumored to be eyeing a 2028 presidential run.
He has presented himself as a moderate, telling Fox News Digital last week that defunding the police and open borders are “not the party’s position.”
He also acknowledged disagreement inside the party. “We will have healthy debate among progressive and pragmatic wing of the party,” he said. “That’s what a coalition party looks like.
