Transcript: Rahm Emanuel on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," July 12, 2026

The pursuing is the transcript of an interrogation with erstwhile White House main of unit and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected July 12, 2026.

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MARGARET BRENNAN: We spell present to the erstwhile politician of Chicago and the erstwhile U.S. ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel. Welcome to Face the Nation, Ambassador.

RAHM EMANUEL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR: Thanks, Margaret.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I person truthful overmuch to get to with you, but I cognize you worked with Senator Lindsey Graham for a clip present successful Washington, you weren't precisely connected the aforesaid leafage politically, but I wonderment your thoughts connected his passing.

EMANUEL: Good observation. No, look, you mislaid a patriot. We disagreed, but we weren't disagreeable astir it. There were 3 things we worked on. One, helium represented John McCain. I represented past Senator Obama connected the statement rules. Two, erstwhile we had a gathering during the transition, Senator McCain, Lindsey, the president-elect, myself, we agreed to enactment connected a nationalist work bill, which we really got done successful outpouring '09 that doubled the size for Americorps and for the Peace Corps. And past third, our final, which was truly the astir difficult, but we got to an agreement, which was to adjacent Guantanamo. It was Senator Levin, Lindsey, myself representing the administration. We got to a last issue. The lawyer wide was against it, which was the proceedings of the sheikh, which helium wanted civilian. Lindsey said it had to beryllium subject tribunal to get the 15 votes. That's not what happened, and truthful therefore, and it was 1 governmental investigation which I thought was accurate, versus a ineligible investigation which was possibly by the instrumentality but wasn't going to happen. And truthful we worked astatine my table arsenic the main of staff. I don't cognize the twelve meetings betwixt Carl Levin, myself, and the legislator that would really person closed Guantanamo, moved each the prisoners retired and brought that section to America to end. Now, did we spot everything 100%? No. Did we find compromise? Absolutely.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah. Well, Ambassador, we request to instrumentality a interruption and decorativeness our speech astir the important code you conscionable gave successful Israel a fewer days ago. But we're going to bash that successful a minute. I anticipation everyone volition enactment with us. We volition beryllium close back.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK] 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome backmost to Face the Nation. We proceed our speech present with Ambassador Rahm Emanuel. Ambassador, you are conscionable backmost from a travel overseas. Your family, I know, has heavy ties to Israel. You worked during the Clinton administration, the Obama medication connected important Mideast issues. In this code you conscionable delivered, you were precise captious of Palestinian authorities' enactment failures. You faulted Arab states for not doing much successful a credible mode for the Palestinian people, and past you took purpose astatine Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying helium has led his state into a dormant end. What bash you anticipation you accomplished?

EMANUEL: Well, it was not conscionable a criticism, each those are clear, and I was- stated that. And I besides said the United States made mistakes successful the past. But I laid retired a program that gets retired of Israel being a pariah. It's went from a technological prowess to a territorial pariah, and for a tiny nation, that's not survivable. In 22 years, it volition beryllium 100 years old. You cannot past similar this. So, one, not a two-state solution, a 23-state solution, taking the Arab League's connection to admit the authorities of Israel, each 21 nations, if they travel to an statement connected information for the authorities of Israel, which is essential, and Palestinian sovereignty. That's Israel's champion time and Iran's worst day. Second, gathering disconnected the India Mideast European Economic Corridor, which would beryllium the astir important commercialized route, and enactment Israel's technological prowess astatine the center, interruption into the economical integration that's happening. So that was a plan. Others tin connection theirs, but to me, it addresses the azygous astir important happening for the aboriginal of this alliance—that you cannot trim your nationalist information apparatus with subject power, economical statecraft, governmental persuasion, and taste attraction trim 3 of them and fto them atrophy, and your full nationalist information apparatus has lone subject power. And that's an illustration of however Israel has a breakout that is bully for alliance. The United States is beardown with NATO. You tin spot that successful nationalist opinion. The United States nationalist sentiment is besides beardown with our Asian allies. This is the lone state that is successful the debased 20s successful support. That is not a sustainable way for an confederation that's indispensable for Israel, America security.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You said the existent Israeli government, the Netanyahu government, views each information situation arsenic a nail and Israel's subject arsenic a hammer. That sounded precise akin to me, astatine least, to this listen.

[SOUND ON TAPE BEGINS]

VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: You're a state of of 9 cardinal people. You can't conscionable termination your mode retired of solving each azygous nationalist information occupation that you have.

[SOUND ON TAPE ENDS]

MARGARET BRENNAN: I ideate determination aren't a batch of points of statement betwixt you and the Vice President J.D. Vance, but bash you spot this-- 

EMANUEL: --Correct--

MARGARET BRENNAN: --On the close and left, arsenic a large displacement successful argumentation present for the United States that does not crook around.

EMANUEL: So 2 things, Margaret. The- successful 2009, erstwhile I challenged arsenic main of unit for President Obama, I challenged the Prime Minister directly. Not, "I didn't request this war," directly. That what you're doing connected lodging successful the West Bank volition pb to perpetual struggle and isolation. If determination was a prediction I wanted to beryllium incorrect on, that was it. So telling idiosyncratic the truth, adjacent erstwhile it's painful, that's not caller to me. I was besides successful the country with President Obama erstwhile we funded, and started backing the Iron Dome, that has protected thousands of Israeli civilians. I judge backing the Iron Dome is close for America's strategy, close for Israel. I deliberation making definite that you're not having a undermining the West Bank oregon the anticipation of a two-state solution, a 23-state solution, is besides successful Israel's information interest. And I privation to get backmost to those spell manus successful hand. And truthful my presumption is, instrumentality Syria for example.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

EMANUEL: There's nary much Assad. You person a caput of Syria that is the transit mode to Hezbollah from Iran of each their weapons. The Syrian caput of authorities has said that he- Iran is simply a occupation and that Israel and helium should person a information agreement.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

EMANUEL: Nobody's called. I said I'll wage for the telephone telephone charges, prime up the phone, and travel to a information statement wherever your bluish part, Jordan is unafraid connected the east, Egypt is unafraid connected the south, Syria you would really person a information statement that breaks out. Diplomacy, governmental strategy is dormant arsenic a portion of Israel's nationalist security, and that truthful harms the United States. My fig 1 goal: What advances America's interests? This, if they don't change, the presumption quo contiguous is unsustainable. I did it successful the interests of America, the confederation with an state that is isolated politically astatine location and abroad.

MARGARET BRENNAN: No, and to your point, I was successful Syria successful September, and I saw the parts of Damascus that were bombed by the Netanyahu authorities precise recently—

EMANUEL: And you would chopped disconnected Hezbollah. You would chopped disconnected Hezbollah from Iranian weapons. That's successful your nationalist information interest--

MARGARET BRENNAN: --Well, Trump mightiness beryllium trying to bash that--

EMANUEL: --that doesn't necessitate the military.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Trump whitethorn beryllium trying to bash that. 

EMANUEL: I know, erstwhile again, I connection my telephone card, AT&T. You tin usage it immoderate time. They tin marque the telephone to Damascus.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But bringing you backmost present to home. When I conscionable finished that speech with the existent Israeli ambassador to the United States, who, by the way, precise overmuch supports Israeli settlements successful the West Bank, arsenic you know, helium did instrumentality a deed determination astatine those trying to motorboat statesmanlike campaigns from his country. He was speaking astir Representative Ro Khanna and what happened to him successful the West Bank, but immoderate are saying that astir you too, sir. I mean, however bash you respond to that, and bash you hold with words similar apartheid and genocide, that progressive Democrats similar Khanna usage to speech astir the existent Israeli government?

EMANUEL: Second, I was invited by Tel Aviv University, truthful I took it up, and I didn't conscionable connection criticism; I offered a program for peace. Second, I spell backmost to moving connected this, not with President Clinton, connected some the Oslo Accords, the Wye plantation, Camp David, and with President Obama. And third, if it comes to wherever you commencement oregon however you do, I haven't decided whether I'm moving for president. But the archetypal happening I did was spell to Mississippi, that has moved from 49th to 9th connected speechmaking scores. I person made acquisition this core. We arsenic a country, 50% of our kids cannot work astatine people level, and no, everybody successful Washington is vigor soundlessness connected the aboriginal of this country. So if there's going to beryllium a place, it wasn't the Middle East; it was really down successful Mississippi, that is wherever the aboriginal of America is. Now, 1 happening I know, Margaret, astir the White House: you person to beryllium bully successful the Situation Room, the boardroom, the interruption room, and the classroom. And the occupation for some parties is 1 stuck successful the bath and the different 1 stuck successful the bedroom. Get retired and absorption connected the future.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Ambassador, we'll permission it there. 

EMANUEL: Thanks

MARGARET BRENNAN: Look guardant to having you backmost to speech more. We'll beryllium close back.