Rahm Emanuel, U.S. ambassador to Japan and former mayor of Chicago, discusses the city’s current state since he left office, tackles the migrant crisis, and provides perspective on global matters, including the Israel-Palestine conflict.
After his two terms as Chicago’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel is now serving as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. He was home Wednesday and offered his insight not only on the migrant crisis, but also the current political climate.
Emanuel met with Mayor Brandon Johnson in July and more recently, and he is aware how the migrant crisis is overwhelming city and state leaders.
"The best advice I would give is: You’re a team: governor, county, mayor."
The former mayor noted that during his term, "when you had a natural disaster in Puerto Rico, we had to deal with 7,000 coming in. Now that’s nothing compared to what we have now, but there’s a way to handle that. If you sat in that chair, you have some perspective on that."
With the Iowa Caucus just days away, Emanuel cautioned those who assume Donald Trump has a lock on the nomination.
"Voters always have a curve ball in their back pocket," he said.
There's been a suggestion that Emanuel should leave his post to use organizing skills to run the Biden re-election campaign. But Emanuel said, "I'm an ambassador. I love being an ambassador. I’m really enjoying it."
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When pressed, he said, “… so that's not a no. That’s not a no, well, nobody’s ever talked to me except for reporters."
The very tight Biden-Trump polls have some Democrats nervous.
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"Is David Axelrod right when he suggested on his social media that perhaps the president should not run? His exact quote was, 'What he needs to decide is whether that is wise, whether that is in his best interest, or the country's.' Well, that’s not just true about President Biden, that would be true about anybody," Emanuel said. "You have to have a gut check about yourself."
He added, "President’s made a decision, he’s running for re-election. Again, I got to be careful, I serve at his request, confirmed by the Senate; he's done an incredible job."
On the war in the Middle East, Emanuel said, "everybody wants a cease-fire. There was a cease-fire, I’m for the cease-fire that was in existence on Oct. 6.”
He also reacted to having his Michigan home vandalized in November with an antisemitic message spray-painted on his fence.
"This is not the first time I’ve ever faced antisemitism," he said, noting, "a neighbor, who I don’t know, I don’t know their faith, volunteered without calling us, turned things around, so the word Nazi did not appear on my house."
"I’m not going to lose sight of the hatred," he added, "but I’m going to make sure that it never silences the goodness of people, and there's a lot of good."
When asked if Biden wins re-election and will Emanuel stay as the ambassador to Japan, he noted he serves at the president’s call but would not commit beyond this current year.
