Rahm Emanuel tells Megyn Kelly a man can't become a woman
'Can a man become a woman?' Kelly asked Emanuel, former President Biden's ambassador to Japan, on her SiriusXM show.
'Can a man become a woman? Not — no,' the former Chicago mayor and Obama chief of staff replied.
'Thank you,' Kelly responded, adding later that Emanuel's answer was 'so easy.'
'Why don't more people in your party just say that?' she added.
'Because we're — I'm now going to go into a witness protection plan,' he joked.
Following former Vice President Kamala Harris's loss to Trump in the 2024 election, Democratic policy and messaging toward transgender Americans have come under intense scrutiny both inside and outside the party.
Some moderate Democrats contend the party went too far in defending transgender rights, particularly when it comes to women's sports.
President Trump campaigned hard against Harris's past support for gender-affirming care for incarcerated people. Since returning to the White House, he has sought to curb access to gender-affirming health care and reinstate a ban on transgender troops in the military.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Harris's running mate, has said it's 'a mistake' for some in the party to not defend transgender Americans against Trump administration policies seeking to restrict their rights.
LGBTQ rights groups have pushed the Democratic Party to 'do more' on protecting gay and transgender Americans' rights amid threats from the Trump administration.
'With increasing frequency and intensity, the LGBTQ+ community is being targeted substantively as well as rhetorically, in campaigns, state legislatures, Congress and from every corner of the Trump administration,' leaders of nine national and state LGBTQ advocacy groups said in a letter to the Democratic National Committee back in March.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
EU's Von der Leyen to Meet Trump in Bid to Clinch Trade Deal
(Bloomberg) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she will travel to Scotland this weekend to meet with US President Donald Trump, as the two sides aim to conclude a trade deal ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline when 30% tariffs on the bloc's exports are otherwise due to kick in. Trump Awards $1.26 Billion Contract to Build Biggest Immigrant Detention Center in US The High Costs of Trump's 'Big Beautiful' New Car Loan Deduction Can This Bridge Ease the Troubled US-Canadian Relationship? Salt Lake City Turns Winter Olympic Bid Into Statewide Bond Boom Trump Administration Sues NYC Over Sanctuary City Policy After months of talks and shuttle diplomacy between Brussels and Washington DC, the two sides have been zeroing in on an agreement this past week that would see the EU face 15% tariffs on most of its trade. Limited exemptions are expected for aviation, some medical devices and generic medicines, several spirits, and a specific set of manufacturing equipment that the US needs, Bloomberg previously reported. Steel and aluminum imports would likely benefit from a quota under the arrangements under discussion but above that threshold they would face a higher tariff of 50%. 'We'll see if we make a deal,' Trump said as he arrived in Scotland on Friday. 'Ursula will be here, highly respected woman. So we look forward to that.' Trump reiterated that he believed there was 'a 50-50 chance' of a deal with the EU, saying there were sticking points on 'maybe 20 different things' that he did not want to detail publicly. Trump gave similar odds in Washington before leaving, but also said the EU had a 'pretty good chance' of reaching an agreement. Trump announced tariffs on almost all US trading partners in April, declaring his intent to bring back domestic manufacturing, to pay for a massive tax-cut extension and to stop the rest of the world from taking advantage of the US. He has also sought to remove what he describes as barriers for American companies to do business around the world. Alongside a universal levy, the US president has hit cars and auto parts with a 25% levy, and steel and aluminum with double that. He's also threatened to target pharmaceuticals and semiconductors with new duties as early as next month, and recently announced a 50% tariff on copper. The EU has been seeking quotas and a ceiling on future sectoral tariffs that the US has yet to implement but it's unclear if an initial agreement will shield the bloc from potential future levies at this stage. The agreement would also cover non-tariff barriers, cooperation on economic security matters and strategic purchases by the EU in sectors such as energy and artificial intelligence. The terms of any initial deal, which is expected to take the form of a short joint statement, would need to be approved by member states, according to people familiar with the matter. The statement is seen as a stepping stone toward more detailed negotiations. Because of the ongoing uncertainty, the EU has in parallel put together countermeasures in the event of a no-deal scenario, which would see it quickly hit American exports with up to 30% tariffs on some €100 billion ($117 billion) worth of goods — including Boeing Co. aircraft, US-made cars and bourbon whiskey — in the event of no-deal and if Trump carries through with his threat to impose that rate on most of the bloc's exports after Aug. 1 or in future. The package also includes some export restrictions on scrap metals. In a no-deal scenario, the bloc is also prepared to move forward with its anti-coercion instrument, a potent trade tool that would eventually allow it to also target other areas such as market access, services and restrictions on public contracts, provided that there is a majority of member states backing its use. (Updates with Trump remarks in paragraphs 4-6.) Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash Confessions of a Laptop Farmer: How an American Helped North Korea's Wild Remote Worker Scheme It's Not Just Tokyo and Kyoto: Tourists Descend on Rural Japan Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
New York Post
15 minutes ago
- New York Post
Team Trump is right to sue NYC over its ‘sanctuary' laws — but Mayor Adams isn't the one to blame
Team Trump had no choice but to sue New York City over its disastrous sanctuary-city laws, especially after a pair of illegal immigrants were accused of shooting an off-duty Border Patrol agent in a Manhattan park. But if President Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi or Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem think Mayor Eric Adams, the NYPD or any other city agency is in any way responsible for those laws, they're badly mistaken. The suit names Adams, the police and other agencies and officials as well as the City Council as defendants. Citing Adams might be a legal necessity; it explicitly lists him 'in his official capacity,' and it concedes that he has opposed Gotham's sanctuary laws. Advertisement Yet Team Trump has also expressed anger at the mayor personally for the city's failure to cooperate with ICE in rounding up illegal immigrants, particularly criminal ones. Noem blasted Adams outright, along with the council, after Saturday night's border-guard shooting. 'This officer is in the hospital today, fighting for his life, because of the policies of the mayor of the city and the City Council,' Noem roared. Advertisement 'When I look at what Mayor Adams has done to New York City, it breaks my heart to see the families that have suffered because of his policies.' Noem is right to be mad at the council, but she couldn't be more wrong about Adams. Again, he's fought to roll back sanctuary laws. He tried to allow ICE agents back into Rikers so they can take custody of illegal immigrants in the safety of the jails, rather than on the streets, where the dangers are greater and more agents are required. Advertisement He has been cooperating with border czar Tom Homan, and is on record saying he wants to work with the feds. For his pains he's been attacked by the hard left and called an extremist. But the law is the law, and city government must follow it. As Adams noted correctly Friday, any changes to the laws 'must come through the City Council.' Advertisement Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters If the Justice Department's suit can force the council to scrap its sanctuary rules, it'll be a great boon to public safety. Those laws, like the state's sanctuary laws, allow violent illegal-immigrant criminals to elude detention and deportation. Indeed, the city has been ignoring ICE detainers by the thousands, leaving potentially violent illegal immigrants free to roam the streets. The pair accused of shooting the border guard had been in custody here and ICE had requested NYC Corrections to detain them for deportation, yet they were let go anyway. The suit also seems to be on firm grounds legally: The Constitution, Congress and the Supreme Court make it clear that immigration is the responsibility of the federal government. And while states and cities aren't obligated to help with that, they're not allowed to impede federal agents' efforts. Advertisement Letting a wanted illegal immigrant go free is akin to abetting a fugitive from justice. Keep your fingers crossed that Team Trump prevails in this suit. But remember, too, that Adams is on the right side of it.
The Hill
15 minutes ago
- The Hill
‘Pod Save America' on Gabbard's Obama allegations: ‘Crock of s—‘
'Pod Save America' host Dan Pfeiffer railed against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's accusations that the Obama administration led a 'treasonous coup' over the 2016 election. 'I don't think we should call this a scandal,' said Pfeiffer, a former adviser to President Obama, in a Friday episode of the podcast. 'Like I don't know what else to call it, a crock of s—' 'They can't even explain the allegation. It makes no sense,' he continued. 'This is the most easily debunked thing in the world.' Last week, Gabbard released a report claiming that the Obama administration manipulated intelligence to create a false narrative that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Gabbard then doubled down on the accusation and unsealed a formerly-classified House Intelligence Committee report on Wednesday that cast doubts on the European country's interest in the 2016 election and his desire to aid President Trump. She called the Obama administration's reported actions 'the most egregious weaponization and politicization of intelligence in American history.' Several intelligence reviews have concluded that Russia sought to influence the contest and that President Vladimir Putin favored Trump in the election. Gabbard, at a White House press briefing on Wednesday, claimed that the evidence pointed to Obama as the main instigator of the efforts and said she was looking into possible criminal implications. President Trump backed Gabbard, calling the intelligence assessment 'irrefutable proof that Obama was seditious.' 'I guess the crime is the creating a false narrative,' co-host Jon Favreau, former Obama speechwriter, said on the Friday episode. 'I didn't think a false narrative could be a coup.' The podcast hosts join fellow Democrats in criticizing Gabbard, particularly as fervor grows surrounding the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which Democrats — and even some Republicans — have called to be released. 'It seems as though the Trump administration is willing to declassify anything and everything except the Epstein files,' said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, in a statement. Favreau, on Friday's episode, pondered whether the the administration can 'will this scandal in to existence by repeating 'treasonous coup' over and over again.' .
