‘We Lost The Plot’: Longtime Democrat Mayor Exposes Party

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says Democrats “lost the plot” and drifted away from the bread-and-butter concerns that used to anchor the party with working families.

Emanuel, a Democrat seen as a possible presidential contender, laid into his own side during an appearance on the “Fifth Column” podcast. In a clip circulating online, he argued Democrats have spent years lecturing voters while chasing culture-war fights that don’t help kids learn, communities stay safe or families get ahead.

“We lost the plot,” Emanuel said. “We as Democrats nationally, from ‘Latinx,’ to defunding the police, to ‘Police organizations are all racist,’ to bringing a set of cultural wars to our schools. We are on the losing side of those cultural wars. Full stop.”

Emanuel said the party’s priorities have drifted, pointing to struggles in classrooms as a glaring example.

“You are worried about bathroom access and locker room access, why don’t you focus on classroom excellence?” he asked. “You have 50% of our kids not reading at grade level.”

When a co-host suggested Democrats could address both education and social issues, Emanuel pushed back, arguing the results speak for themselves.

“You’ve proven you can’t, because you’ve permitted a 30-year-low in reading and math scores and nobody seems to be calling the whistle on this,” he said.

“We’ve lost the plot,” Emanuel repeated. “Because the party got un-anchored.”

Rahm Emanuel — Obama’s Chief of Staff, Clinton’s political director — just said it.

“We lost the plot.”

Emanuel: 50% of American kids aren’t reading at grade level. Reading and math scores at a 30-year low. The Democratic Party’s response was bathroom access and trans athletes… pic.twitter.com/VjvaZO08pc

— Jake (@JakeCan72) April 2, 2026

He argued that successful Democratic presidents built coalitions by tying their message to middle-class values and broad, practical goals. In his view, the party’s posture shifted in recent years from tolerance to activism, and he said that change has alienated voters who feel talked down to.

The former mayor also singled out the debate over transgender participation in women’s sports, linking it to what he called an erosion of the party’s earlier achievements.

“And I’ll just take one on that I shouldn’t. So, here goes,” he said. “I remember fighting for Title IX. The reason we are champions in women’s sports in the Olympics in soccer, hockey, is Title IX. Why would you undercut the premise of Title IX with the ability of trans men playing in women sports?”

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“To me, it’s insane,” Emanuel added. “You’re undermining one of the great accomplishments we as a country, but also spearheaded by the Democratic Party, Title IX! And we’re undercutting it!”

Emanuel also argued the country’s political anger did not begin with President Donald Trump, even if Trump has capitalized on it. Emanuel pointed to several flashpoint events since 2000 that, in his telling, left many Americans believing the system protects the powerful while regular people eat the cost.

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He cited the Iraq War, the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic as moments that reshaped public trust and hardened resentment. And he said Trump didn’t invent that frustration so much as ride a wave that was already building.

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