Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a Democrat, said Thursday that it’s his party’s job to divide President Donald Trump’s base before the 2020 election.
Emanuel, who served as White House chief of staff for former President Barack Obama, appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” to voice his support for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who is looking to retake the role of House Speaker in January.
“The next two years are setting up for the election in 2020, and dividing, in my view, the Republican Party and Donald Trump from the base of the Republican Party,” Emanuel said.
“I see these next two two years as a precedent and basically a building a block into 2020. You need a veteran. … Nancy Pelosi is as cagey as [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell [Kentucky Republican] is ruthless and Donald Trump is unprincipled.”
Emanuel went on to say that it’s “too early” for him to consider running for another public office after his current term ends.
“First of all, my entire focus in the next six months is to make sure the city of Chicago and everybody in the city, regardless of your neighborhood or a zip code, is well positioned for the future,” he said.
“I’m going to take some time,” the mayor added. “I’ve been at this literally for 4 years. I have had the honor and here’s how I look at it: I’m the son of an immigrant, I’ve been adviser to two presidents, I've been elected to Congress and the fourth in leadership, I've been the mayor of the third-largest city. I am the luckiest person in the world.”
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