<p>Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel openly flirted with a 2028 presidential candidacy Wednesday, telling a nationally televised talk show audience that he is “in training” for a White House bid.</p><p>Emanuel’s <a class="Link" href="http://abc.com/video/2f58521e-0067-4f14-b820-d307a16b80b3/playlist/PL557769560" target="_blank" >remarks</a> on ABC’s “The View” stopped short of an actual announcement that he intends to run for what constitutionally should be an open seat, given that President Donald Trump will have served two terms.</p><p>But Emanuel did appear to move closer to that possibility by teasing at what he may have meant when he told the Economic Club of Chicago in March that he was “not done with public service.”</p><p>Emanuel’s appearance on the popular, female-oriented daytime talk show came a day after some unexpected political commotion involving Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who also may be eying a presidential bid. The governor pondered on CNN whether Emanuel wants to be governor.</p><p>The posturing by two of Illinois’ best-known Democratic politicians is the clearest indicator yet they may be on a collision course if both actually launch bids for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.</p><p>On “The View,” Emanuel bashed Trump’s policies and said that Washington, under all-Republican rule, has put the “American Dream” out of reach for most people.</p><p>One of the show’s hosts then told Emanuel his impassioned attack on Trump and his congressional allies sounded as if he was a presidential candidate.</p><p>“Well, look. I am in training. I don’t know if I’ll make the Olympics,” Emanuel responded to laughter.</p><p>The former mayor did not use the venue to respond to Pritzker’s day-old comments.</p><p>The governor on CNN responded to a WBEZ <a class="Link" href="https://www.wbez.org/politics/2025/05/13/gov-jb-pritzker-reelection-third-term-president" target="_blank" >report</a> in which political strategist and CNN commentator David Axelrod suggested Pritzker consider not seeking a third term as governor and instead fully focus on a presidential campaign if he genuinely intends to run for the White House.</p><p>Axelrod argued third terms for aspiring presidential candidates who are sitting governors can be full of unexpected political pitfalls that could give rivals at the national level fodder to undermine their candidacies.</p><p>“David’s a friend of mine. Here’s what I can say,” Pritzker <a class="Link" href="https://x.com/TheArenaCNN/status/1922405746471223716" target="_blank" >said</a>. “I think he has in mind the idea that his friend Rahm Emanuel would like to run for governor of Illinois.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Gov. J.B. Pritzker looks on as Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks during a press conference on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. </p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times</p></div></div>
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</div><p>Pritzker went on to say that Emanuel “probably wouldn’t run for governor if I were running for reelection. So that’s one thing that I think he’s considering.”</p><p>WBEZ reported Tuesday that Pritzker appears to be leaning toward a third term as governor while keeping his options open for a presidential bid two years later. His campaign said he’ll make his re-election intentions known “in the coming months.”</p><p><i>Dave McKinney covers Illinois government and politics and was the longtime Springfield bureau chief for the Chicago Sun-Times.</i><br></p>
