CNN anchor presses Rahm Emanuel to say whether he wants Hillary Clinton to run in 2020

CNN

CNN’s Dana Bash pushed Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Sunday to answer whether he wanted Hillary Clinton to run for president in 2020, a query he repeatedly attempted to dodge.

In an interview on “State of the Union,” the CNN host repeatedly pressed the former adviser to President Bill Clinton whether another Clinton bid would benefit the Democratic party, citing her recent forceful condemnation of President Donald Trump’s administration.

“If Hillary Clinton is up for another presidential run, would that be a good thing for your party?” Bash asked.

“Well look, you’re asking something that we’re not even through the mid-term election,” Emanuel said. “She hasn’t even declared.”

“I know, but I asked the question,” Bash replied. “Do you think she should?”

He added: “I love you. It’s not a good question.”

Emanuel emphasized that there was plenty of time until the next election in which it would become obvious whether she would be a good candidate.

“I happen to love Hillary, and I think she’s full of energy,” Emanuel said. “I happen to think there’s a lot of time between now and the presidential election. She has to decide whether that’s in her heart.”

“Hillary has a lot of offer. The core question is not whether I think she would be a good candidate. It’s whether she wants to run. Because at the end of the day, the public is pretty smart. And if it’s only going through the motions, they’ll pick that up.”

The longtime Democrat and chief of staff under President Barack Obama has a long, somewhat mixed history with the Clintons.

As first lady, Hillary Clinton sought to sideline Emanuel. In the 2016 Democratic primary, she garnered his support early on, but distanced herself from him when Sen. Bernie Sanders attempted to make the Illinois primary a referendum on Emanuel’s criminal justice record and handling of a controversial shooting of a 17-year-old by the police.

Though Clinton has ruled out a third presidential bid, that hasn’t stopped pundits and some right-leaning publications from stoking the idea that she may run again.

Watch the clip via CNN:

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