May 26, 2017

Hillary Clinton Shades Trump with Nixon Comparison

Her Wellesley commencement speech was on fire.


Hillary Clinton returned to Wellesley College Friday to deliver her alma mater’s 2017 commencement speech, encouraging graduates not to sit on the sidelines during a political climate she described as a “full-fledged assault on truth and reason.” Her remarks, which frequently sparked loud applause from the audience, included a number of veiled slights at President Donald Trump, including an implicit comparison with Richard Nixon.

“By the way, we were furious about the past presidential election, of a man whose presidency would end in disgrace with his impeachment for obstruction of justice,” Clinton said. “After firing the person running the investigation into him at the Department of Justice.”

“But here’s what I want you to know,” she continued. “We got through that tumultuous time.”

The sharp quip was just one of the few times on Friday Clinton appeared to offer a side some have claimed she rarely exhibits: funny, warm, and self-deprecating. The former Democratic presidential candidate set the tone by humorously crediting the role a bit of wine played in helping her get back on her feet after November.

“You may have heard that things didn’t go exactly as I planned,” Clinton said. “But you know what—I’m doing okay.”

“Long walks in the woods, organizing my closets, right? I won’t lie—Chardonnay helped a little too.”

But she also sharply criticized the Trump administration’s policies, specifically calling the new budget proposal “an attack of unimaginable cruelty.”

While the speech was largely praised on social media, conservative networks could not resist focusing on Clinton’s cough at the beginning of her remarks:

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“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

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PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

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