Hillary Clinton is back from hiking in the woods, and she’s speaking out on the current Trump Administration, which completed missile strike in Syria on Thursday evening—the same night she spoke at the Women in the World New York Summit. The former Secretary of State gave an update on what she had been up to since allegedly losing the 2016 election, as well as her thoughts on Trump’s recent policies.
“I am doing pretty well, all things considered,” she said when asked how she was handling things. “The aftermath of the election was so devastating. Everything that has come to light in the days and weeks since have been all so troubling. I just had to make up my mind that yes, I was going to get out  [of] bed, and yes I was going to go out for long walks in the woods, and spend time with my family.”
One of the most devastating things about her losing the election is quickly learning that we’re not as progressive a country as we thought. She was smart, experienced, and the most qualified candidate running, which means she should have won, right? Nope. The predominately white Americans who voted for Trump rejected Clinton for what they claim to be valid “reasons” (But her emails! Economic anxiety! They’re both the same! She’s worse! Sigh …) and not because she’s a woman seeking a position of power. Sure.
“I think, in this election, there was a very real struggle between what is viewed as change that is welcomed and exciting to so many Americans and change which is worrisome and threatening to so many others,” Clinton added. “And you layer on the first woman president on top of that, and I think some people, women included, had real problems …With men, success and ambition are correlated with likability. With a woman, guess what? It’s the exact opposite.”
But if you’re worried about her personally, don’t be. She seems to be doing okay on that front. However, when it comes to her role as a citizen, she’s in the same boat as the majority of the country who do not approve of Trump. “As a person, I’m OK. As an American, I’m pretty worried.”
There is a lot to be concerned about. When congress isn’t confirming Neil Gorsuch as Supreme Court Justice, they’re voting to reverse President Obama’s protections for Title X family planning services like Planned Parenthood, which guaranteed federal funding. “I don’t understand the commitment to hurt so many people that this administration, this White House, seems to be pursuing. There are so many examples in just the first 100 days … The targeting of women, which is what’s going on, is absolutely beyond any political agenda. There’s something else happening here.”
She continued: “The things that come out of some of these men’s mouths, like ‘Why do we have to cover maternity care?’ Well, I don’t know, maybe you were dropped by immaculate conception. And the classic picture of all of the men sitting around the table, deciding how they were going to defund Planned Parenthood, end maternity care, end access for insurance for family planning for contraception—looking at that picture, you just think it’s got to be from a skit from Saturday Night Live. It can’t be true.”
Unfortunately, a homogeneous group of white men is making major healthcare decisions for women, but hopefully, it won’t be that way forever—not if Clinton has anything to say about that.
“I am really focused on just doing some things that I think I can make a difference with,” she explained when asked about her work encouraging other women to seek positions in office. However, don’t expect her to run again any time soon. “I have no plans, other than trying to find some interesting things to do.” Things like helping people live better lives. Can’t be mad at that.
(via The Hollywood Reporter, image: screencap)
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