Takes questions from students and discusses the present and future of America
April 2026 – Drew University’s 2025-26 Thomas H. Kean Visiting Professor Rahm Emanuel spoke with undergraduate students and at a Drew Forum event, delivering insights into the current and future of the country, and offering thought-provoking ideas on how to address what ails the country.
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Emanuel has served as the 31st U.S. Ambassador to Japan (2022-25), the 55th Mayor of Chicago (2011-19), Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama (2009-10), Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois’ 5th Congressional District (2002-08), and advisor to President Bill Clinton (1993-98).
Emanuel began his time at Drew speaking with a class of students, predominantly studying political science and international relations. He answered questions for an hour, had several “homework assignments” to read impactful books relevant to student questions, and spoke individually with a number of students after the class.
Emanuel then took part in a Drew Forum event moderated by Drew President Hilary L. Link, PhD, at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown. Former New Jersey Governors Tom Kean and Chris Christie were among those in attendance.
Some key takeaways from Emanuel’s day:
The line that had students taking notes:
“If you want your democracy to be stable, you need to make the American Dream attainable.”
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The key issue in the 2026 midterm elections will be…
“Corruption is the gift that keeps on giving. There are other issues, but corruption is the backdrop that everything is pushed up against.”
What does the next president need to be thinking about?
“2028 is very much going to be an election about the future. As somebody who was up close against China, we as a country have never, ever, in our 250 years of existence faced a country three times our size with an intention to bury us. This is a new thing.
“The American Century will not happen by default. We are going to have to invest in it. We’re going to have to get serious about it. We don’t have a person to waste or a community to overlook. Having been overseas, I’m not scared of China. I’m scared of what we’re not doing.
“China does not decide whether we have 50 percent of our children who can’t read at grade level. We decide that. China doesn’t decide whether we get complacent. That’s on us. China doesn’t make a decision whether we’re going to cut research into the most promising technologies of tomorrow, or invest in them. To me, this is going to be a really big decision.
“I don’t think we should be trying to restore a past that’s not coming back. I think we should make the future a friend, not a foe. And there’s only one way to do it—invest, educate, and prepare the country with a battle plan for that future. If we do that, we’re going to be okay.”
An education reformer’s thoughts on the liberal arts:
“I’m a big believer in a liberal arts education. Which is contrary to thinking, with technology and AI you’ve got to be technically proficient—which you do. On the other hand, thinking, and knowing how to think, and how to ask critical questions is going to be more essential, not less essential. I was teaching a class and taking questions from your students and a student said, ‘Name your favorite philosopher.’ I’ve taken close to a thousand questions in the last year since being home, and I haven’t gotten that question. And I say that in an affirmative way. Whether it’s history, philosophy, literature, I think that well-rounded education is important to being successful, not just in the professional sense, but as a person who can appreciate differences and thinking critically.”
Leadership means…
“Leadership is about knowing why you’re doing what you’re doing, and then being tough enough to get it done. It’s not just having good thoughts. If you think of our transformational presidents—Roosevelt, Reagan, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt—they have a vision, a sense of direction, and then the muscle to make that happen.”
What will it take for a democrat to win the presidency?
“What happened in 2024 is we got caught, in my view, on a bunch of cultural cul-de-sacs, running around on secondary issues that weren’t primary to people. If you can’t pay healthcare…people are very accepting, but we’re arguing about bathroom access? We’re an accepting society, but we became an advocate for a particular position that wasn’t very popular, and we, as a party, invited and led the culture wars into our schools, and we lost. So, stay focused on what is primary to this country.
“Ninety percent of children don’t think the American Dream is in their future. They don’t think they’re ever getting out of their parent’s basement. And they’ve done everything right. It’s not just affordability—it’s the fact that they have lost confidence that one day they can buy a home, save for their retirement, save for their own kid’s education, and not be one illness away from the poor house. That used to be something you achieved. Today people struggle to make it happen. Speak to that core.”
The 2025-26 Drew Forum speaker series will conclude Monday, April 20, with bestselling author and journalist Douglas Murray in a discussion moderated by Jessica Yellin. Tickets are available here.
