Rahm Emanuel calls for mandatory retirement age of 75 for people in public office
The former Chicago mayor acknowledged his own presidential ambitions would be cut short under his proposed age limit
By Landon Mion Fox News
Published January 21, 2026 11:31pm EST
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a potential White House hopeful for 2028, said on Wednesday that he wants a mandatory retirement age of 75 for the president and people holding office in other branches of government.
"You’re 75 years old: done," Emanuel, a Democrat, said at a Center for American Progress event. "And that would be in the legislative branch, it’d be in the executive branch — including the Cabinet — and it’d also be in the Supreme Court, and all the federal courts."
Emanuel, 66, acknowledged that he would be affected by this proposal if he happens to be elected president in 2028 and seeks re-election, as he would be 73 at the start of a potential second term.
"I know where I am in my age. Of course it would apply to me," Emanuel told Politico. "You can’t say 'here’s what I want to do to change Washington, one of the things I want to do' — but I get an exemption because I bought it beforehand."
The proposal would make President Donald Trump, 79, ineligible to continue serving and would have prevented former President Joe Biden, now 83, from serving his term in the White House.
In Congress, 17 senators and 45 House members are currently 75 or older and would be impacted by the standard.
Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, 77, and Samuel Alito, 75, would also be barred from continuing to serve on the bench, while Justices Sonia Sotomayor, 71, and John Roberts, 70, are nearing Emanuel's mandatory retirement age.
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