Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton sat down with author Cheryl Strayed at the Javits Center Thursday for an event at the annual BookExpo, where she talked about more than just her published works.
Speaking in front of an audience of about 1,000, Clinton did not hold back on her thoughts about her former rival’s administration. Though she did not mention President Donald Trump by name, Clinton told the crowd she was “worried” by his presidency.
“We’re living in such an abnormal time, when we look at the way this White House is behaving about some of the biggest challenges we face,” she said. “The dishonesty, the fabrications . . . It is deeply troubling, and it is also worrisome that it could cause lasting damages to our institutions.”
The last time Clinton was at the Javits Center in Manhattan was on the night of the November 2016 presidential election, where campaign organizers had anticipated throwing a victory party but instead were forced to tell broken-hearted supporters to go home after it was clear Trump had won.
On Thursday, Strayed played the role of moderator during a nearly hourlong question-and-answer session that included a candid discussion about Clinton’s upcoming memoir recounting her experiences in last year’s election.
Clinton described what she called a “painful” and exhausting period of introspection following the election and “honestly understanding what I didn’t do well, or what I didn’t do well enough,” but said her loss to Trump stirred feelings unlike any of her previous campaign losses, including her 2008 Democratic primary defeat to Barack Obama.
That’s because of the reported role Russia played in meddling with the election through a series of computer hacks against her top campaign aides and the Democratic National Committee, she said.
“I’ve won races, I’ve lost races. I’ve never felt the way I feel about this,” Clinton said, adding, “I’m particularly concerned about the role that Russia played and the very serious interference we know that they were responsible for in our most fundamental democratic act.”
This isn’t the first time Clinton has brought up the Trump administration and the possible roles that Russia may have played in the 2016 presidential election.
Clinton said during a tech conference near Los Angeles on Wednesday that she suspects Trump’s campaign may have guided the Russian government in propaganda efforts leading up to the election. Clinton and Trump had a snarky exchange on Twitter over her statements.
“Crooked Hillary Clinton now blames everybody but herself, refuses to say she was a terrible candidate,” Trump tweeted at 8:40 p.m. Wednesday.
Clinton fired back minutes later, “People in covfefe houses shouldn’t throw covfefe.”
After keeping a relatively low profile following her election loss, Clinton has become increasingly more visible in the public eye. In addition to her appearances this week, she also recently delivered the commencement address at her alma mater, Wellesley College, and is expected to deliver the commencement speech for graduates of Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn next Thursday, June 8.
With Lauren Cook
