(Radio Iowa) – A former Illinois congressman who served in key roles in the Clinton, Obama and Biden Administrations has made a trip to Iowa to explain his goals for the Democratic Party nationally — and Rahm Emanuel suggests recent special election wins in Iowa are a harbinger for 2026 and beyond. “I want the rest of America to know what Iowa’s doing, not the other way around. You guys are leading the way, so congratulations to you on that,” Emanuel said. “…I want you guys to have some confidence. People bet on winners and Iowa is where winners are made.”

Emanuel is the latest prominent Democrat to make public remarks in Iowa, where Democrats had kicked off presidential campaigns until President Biden called on the Democratic National Committee to move the Iowa Caucuses out of the lead-off spot.  “I have spent 30-plus years helping three different presidents (with) different responsibilities…trying to unrig a system that is rigged,” Emanuel said. “Well, I’m here to tell you, in confession, I’m done unrigging it. I’m going to rig it for the people that work hard and play by the rules.”

Emanuel, who is mulling a run for president in 2028, spoke to about 400 people at a fundraiser for state Representative Sean Bagniewski of Des Moines this weekend. Emanuel, who served as President Biden’s Ambassador to Japan, criticized politicians from both parties for failing to sound the alarm about this month’s report showing a national decline in student test scores. “Being over in Japan…I learned a lot about America, learned a lot about that region and there is nothing China’s doing that scaring me,” Emanuel said.

“I look back here and what we’re not doing is what scares me, so get our heads squared on, think about our next generation just your parents do, just like you do and let’s get our game together and think about tomorrow and act on it.” Emanuel raised concerns about President Trump’s tariff policies and he criticized the Trump Administration’s plan to provide a 20 BILLION dollar loan to Argentina. Emanuel says it’s a blank check for a country’s that’s undermining U.S. soybean farmers by selling 20 shiploads of soybeans to China this past week. China had been the biggest overseas market for U.S. grown soybeans.

“How’d they get $20 billion are you guys can’t keep a hospital open in rural Iowa? How did they get $20 billion like that,” Emanuel said, snapping his fingers. “That’s why Washington needs a 2-by-4 and somebody that knows how to swing it.” The president of the Iowa Soybean Association says the economic lifeline provided by the U.S. to Argentina is poorly timed and inexcusable.

Senator Chuck Grassley has questioned why the U.S.A. should bail out Argentina while they take American soybean producers biggest market.