Bill Clinton returned to Michigan on Sunday where he began the day by speaking during Sunday morning church services at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church and Grace Emmanuel in Flint. During the service, Bill spoke about Hillary Clinton’s dedication to helping the middle class and her respect for the diversity of America. He asked everyone to vote so their voice his heard adding, “We have to decide if we’re stronger together or if it’s better to spend all of our time tearing each other down.”
Bill then spoke at a get out the vote rally in Lansing. At a local union hall, Clinton spoke about the importance of the election and stressed Hillary’s platform points such as her plans to create jobs, grow the economy, and support labor unions. He said that Hillary is the only candidate qualified to ensure that the progress the country has made continues. “There’s a lot of road rage out there because after the financial crisis, it took a long time before incomes started going up again. We are finally seeing incomes start to rise,” he said. He urged everyone to get out and vote on Tuesday and to vote for a future of unity and progress. A video from the event will be added when/if available.
Americans deserve a president who’s ready on Day One to keep us safe. As a former Secretary of State and senator, Hillary Clinton brings vast experience to the Oval Office, having dealt with the key issues facing Americans around the world for decades. Traveling nearly a million miles as America’s top diplomat, Hillary has handled issues ranging from nuclear proliferation to military readiness, from women’s rights to climate change, and is ready to lead from day one.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, has proven himself again and again to be temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified to be President and Commander-in-Chief.
Beyond his lack of understanding of foreign policy and unwillingness to learn, Donald Trump is a loose cannon with dangerous views on major global issues. Trump would encourage the spread of nuclear weapons around the world, has insulted our allies and praised several authoritarian dictators. He even encouraged a foreign government to hack Americans, and since then has refused to acknowledge the U.S. Intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government has done just that.
Americans deserve a president who understands the challenging world in which we live, not one who is too erratic and uninformed to have control of nuclear weapons.
Throughout his career, and throughout this campaign, on subject after subject, Trump has proven he is unfit to be commander-in-chief. As we begin the final week of the presidential campaign, here is a look back at Trump’s dangerous record on matters of defense and foreign policy:
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
On nuclear weapons, Donald Trump has displayed a reckless disregard for fact and fails to understand the dangers of nuclear proliferation. Simply put, he doesn’t have the temperament to be trusted with the nuclear codes.
On the prospect of nuclear war in Asia, Trump said, “good luck, enjoy yourself folks.”
Trump’s rhetoric pushed dozens former nuclear launch officers to sign a letter saying Trump “should not have his finger on the button.”
U.S. MILITARY AND VETERANS
Trump has repeatedly insulted our military, our veterans and their families. He has been disrespecting our veterans for decades, continually proving he’s unqualified and temperamentally unfit to be commander-in-chief.
Trump attempted to kick disabled veterans off of Fifth Avenue over two decades, calling the situation “deplorable.”
U.S. INTELLIGENCE
Trump has disparaged the U.S. intelligence community – not only rejecting their conclusions, but questioning their motives.
When asked whether he trusts intelligence, Trump said “not so much.”
Trump invited a foreign government to commit cyber espionage in the U.S.
Trump maintains that we don’t know if Russia is behind recent hacks, despite being personally briefed by Republican Representative Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Trump called the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia was behind that hack was “public relations, frankly” and repeatedly denied their conclusion.
Trump has been accused by a former acting CIA director of being “an unwitting agent of Putin.”
AMERICA’S ALLIES
For decades, America has held strong alliances across the world – including those with NATO countries. NATO has stood with the United States, for example, invoking Article 5 after 9/11 and collaborating to fight the war on terror today. But on the campaign trail, Donald Trump has outlined plans to cut off America’s allies.
Trump accused NATO countries of ripping off the United States, saying “either they have to pay up… or they have to get out. And if it breaks up NATO, it breaks up NATO.”
Trump said NATO “may be obsolete” and “doesn’t really help us.”
Trump has extendedhis threats past NATO to countries like Japan and South Korea.
FOREIGN DICTATORS
Donald Trump seems to have an admiration for dictators from across the world. From Vladimir Putin to Saddam Hussein and beyond, Trump has repeatedly complimented foreign leaders known for their records of oppression and abuse..
Trump said North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un deserves “credit” for taking out his rivals and has “got to be pretty smart.”
Trump gave Saddam Hussein unduecredit, saying “he did one thing well, he killed terrorists.”
Trump believes that, during the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Chinese government showed “strength.”
Trump thinks Vladimir Putin is a better leader than President Obama, “saying in terms of leadership, he’s getting an A and our president is not doing so well.” (But of course, his praise for Putin doesn’t stop there.)
FOREIGN BUSINESS ENTANGLEMENTS
Trump’s extensive foreign dealings would present significant conflicts of interest and endanger our national security. Trump refuses to disclose the full extent of his foreign business entanglements – but without knowing the details of them, how will Americans know whose interests Trump is putting first? What we do know is concerning.
Trump admitted that if his business interests were threatened by another country’s government, he would retaliate with the power of the US government.
Trump has a record of business dealings with foreign governments – including Iran and China that we don’t know the extent of.
Trump has also had numerous foreign business partners we don’t know much about – including one that is allegedly linked to an international money laundering network.
Trump’s foreign entanglements would poseunprecedentedchallenges for U.S. foreign policy and national security.
ISIS
Despite Trump’s claims that he has a “secret” plan to defeat ISIS, he has no real plan at all. And his rhetoric is dangerously playing into terrorists’ hands.
Trump would “ask [his] generals” – the very same generals he believes he knows more than – for a plan to defeat ISIS, since he doesn’t currently have any plan at all.
Trump would continue to promote Russia’s brutal bombing campaign in Syria that is targeting civilians instead of ISIS.
Trump has suggested he would allow Syria to become a “free zone for ISIS.”
Trump would ban Muslims from entering the U.S., a policy that feeds radical jihadist propaganda.
Donald Trump’s approach to Iran is devoid of any substance. He has prefered to denigrate American leaders and spew lies when it comes to Iran — though he was willing to deal with Iran when it made him money.
Trump has peddled falsehoods about Iran’s ability to pursue a nuclear weapon.
Trump has been exposed as a lessor to Iranian bank linked to terrorism.
NORTH KOREA
Trump doesn’t understand the threat North Korea poses. On the campaign trail, Trump has taken positions that would endanger the security of the United States and our allies and embolden North Korea.
Trump would meet with Kim Jong-Un, despite his continued violations of international obligations to abandon his nuclear and missile programs.
Trump would open to door to nuclear proliferation in the region. When asked whether it’s “fine” for Japan and South Korea to get nuclear weapons, Trump said, “Can I be honest with you? It’s going to happen anyway.”
While Clinton has stood up to Russia, Trump panders to Putin. He has voiced support for policies and positions that align exactly with the Kremlin’s interests.
Ahead of the GOP convention, Trump’s campaign bucked fellow Republicans by maneuvering to ensure the party platform no longer calls for arming the Ukrainians, and then lied about it.
Trump announced he would meet with Putin prior to the start of his administration, if elected president.
SYRIA
To date, Donald Trump has not laid out any real plans with respect to Syria or offered any indication that he takes the conflict and humanitarian disaster seriously.
Trump raised the possibility of sending 20,000 – 30,000 U.S. ground troops to Syria and Iraq.
Trump praised and encouraged Russia’s brutal bombing campaign in Syria, despite the climbing total civilian casualties and attacks on U.S.-backed forces.
Monday, Hillary Clinton released the following statement in response to the disturbing report from the Los Angeles Times that soldiers are being told to repay thousands in old enlistment bonuses:
“I am appalled that National Guard officials are attempting to recoup money from soldiers who accepted bonuses a decade ago – with the active encouragement of government officials and through no fault of their own – for bravely enlisting to serve our country during a time of war. These troops deserve our support and our deepest gratitude; they served admirably and upheld their part of the bargain. It is unacceptable to now subject them and their families to undue financial burdens thanks to to mismanagement from the California National Guard and rigid bureaucracy on the part of the Pentagon.
I am calling on Congress to swiftly pass legislation to right this wrong. In the meantime, we should assist these families in identifying and applying for relief as well establishing an expedited review process. We simply cannot allow this type of mistreatment of veterans, for any reason.”
On Monday, Hillary Clinton and Hillary for America announced a plan that will ensure that businesses, workers, and consumers can all grow and prosper together. This would be a stark contrast from today’s economy in which one typically suffers at the expense of the others. HFA released details of her plan which are outlined below. The full plan can be read on The Briefing.
Hillary Clinton believes we need to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. But today, there are still powerful interests fighting to protect their own profits and privileges at the expense of everyone else. Too many of the rules and incentives in our economy encourage those at the top to abuse their power and take advantage of consumers, workers, small businesses, and taxpayers. That makes it tougher for even well-meaning CEOs to take the high road.
In recent months, we’ve seen three egregious examples of these problems. We saw a drug company, Mylan, excessively raise the price of lifesaving EpiPens without justification. We saw one of our country’s biggest banks, Wells Fargo, bully thousands of employees into committing fraud on unsuspecting customers. And now we’ve learned the latest on Donald Trump: In one year, he lost nearly a billion dollars; he stiffed small businesses, laid off workers, and walked away from hardworking communities; and he apparently got to avoid paying taxes for nearly two decades—while tens of millions of working families paid theirs. That’s what he calls “smart” business.
Today, Clinton is offering her vision for an economy where our businesses, our workers, and our consumers grow and prosper together. She’s outlining a set of proposals to rewrite the rules so that more companies that do right by workers, small businesses, customers, and taxpayers.
Clinton will:
Eliminate Tax Breaks that Allow Corporations and the Wealthy to Avoid Paying Their Fair Share
Shut down the “private tax system” for the most fortunate, starting by immediately closing egregious loopholes and restoring basic fairness to our tax code.
Protect Consumers from Unfair and Deceptive Practices
Strengthen consumer financial protection, including by restricting practices that businesses like Wells Fargo have used to lock the consumers they’ve harmed out of court
Promoting Free and Fair Competition and Stopping Big Businesses from Hurting Small Business
Crack down on big companies that repeatedly exploit their power to stiff small businesses – and give small businesses the power to respond
A new commitment to promote competition, address excessive concentration and the abuse of economic power, and strengthen antitrust laws and enforcement
Rewrite the Rules So Workers Share in the Profits They Create
Reward companies that share profits with their employees, not just their executives
Statement by Donald P. Gregg, National Security Advisor to Vice President George H.W. Bush. The endorsement comes after 115 former Ambassadors – including 80 appointed by Republican Presidents – backed Hillary Clinton earlier this week and more than 50 national security officials urged Trump to disclose his financial conflicts of interests.
“I was in the Reagan administration for 8 years. I was Vice President George H.W. Bush’s National Security Advisor for over six years. I traveled with him to over 65 countries.
In my view the two great diplomatic overtures since World War II were carried out by Republicans — Nixon to China and President George H. W. Bush’s outreach to Gorbachev and the Soviet Union after the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
But we now have a person at the top of Republican ticket who I believe is dangerous, doesn’t understand the complex world we live in, doesn’t care to, and is without any moral or international philosophy.
I’ve met Hillary Clinton a number of times and followed her career in public service. I’m impressed with her knowledge and experience. She would make an extremely good President.”
Following reports of Donald Trump’s business dealing in Russia, Hillary for America Deputy Communications Director Christina Reynolds released the following statement:
“Despite his effort to hide his business dealings, we now know that Donald Trump has profited from hundreds of millions of dollars from Russian interests. These alarming financial ties present a possible motive for his otherwise puzzling pro-Putin policies such as his openness to lifting sanctions against Russia that currently inhibit money making opportunities for corporations like the Trump Organization. This is precisely what more than fifty national security experts warned against when they called on Trump to disclose and divest his conflict-laden foreign assets that could endanger America’s national security. Unless Donald Trump immediately details all his business connections with Russia and every other foreign nation, we will never know what is driving his decision making: the interests of the American people or his own bottom line.”
Yesterday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau imposed a $100 million fine on Wells Fargo for secretly creating hundreds of thousands of bank accounts for their customers. Hillary Clinton released the following statement:
“Yesterday, we learned that one of the largest banks in America secretly opened hundreds of thousands of bank and credit card accounts for their customers, moving money across accounts and charging fees without customer knowledge or consent. There is simply no place for this kind of outrageous behavior in America, and I applaud the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for its forceful response.
Donald Trump wants to dismantle the CFPB and repeal the crucial rules we put on Wall Street after the financial crisis, but yesterday’s action is a stark reminder of why we need a strong consumer watchdog to safeguard against unfair and deceptive practices. And it’s yet another example of how much is at stake in this election.”
Clinton attends a private fundraiser in Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania in July 2015.
On Wednesday, Hillary Clinton attended a fundraiser in San Francisco. The event came after she unveiled her technology agenda and featured two guests: Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards and actress Jamie Lee Curtis. Also holding a fundraiser on behalf of Hillary for America on Wednesday was Senior Campaign Strategist Jim Margolis. The event was held in New York City. On Thursday, an additional New York City fundraiser was held, this time it included a conversation with Chief Financial Officer Gary Gensler.
Yesterday, The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board published their endorsement of Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders in Tuesday’s Democratic primary in California. The primary reason for their endorsement is that Clinton’s experience and political acumen make her better prepared to go up against Republican nominee Donald Trump. They also argued that Clinton’s plans are more practical, and her background and history of working with both Democrats and Republicans suggests that she will be better at accomplishing her plans as president.
The board said that Clinton is better prepared than Sanders to be president saying, “But Clinton is not only more knowledgeable about domestic and international affairs than Sanders, but also more likely to achieve objectives they have in common. Her speech last week on foreign policy in San Diego — in which she skillfully skewered Trump for his ignorance and recklessness — was a reminder of the breadth of her understanding of international affairs. On domestic policy, her positions on issues such as healthcare and financial regulation are less utopian than what Sanders has proposed but also more realistic.”
The board did have several positive comments about Sanders saying that he has done a great job getting the attention of voters and shining the spotlight on a number of important issues. But the board concludes, “Voters in California’s Democratic primary owe a debt of gratitude to Bernie Sanders for a campaign that has emphasized issues that otherwise might have been ignored. But they should cast their votes for Hillary Clinton.” Read the full editorial HERE.
LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 13: (L-R) Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley take part in a presidential debate sponsored by CNN and Facebook at Wynn Las Vegas on October 13, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Five Democratic presidential candidates are participating in the party’s first presidential debate. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
In an op-ed published in today’s New York Times, Hillary Clinton defended her Wall Street plan saying that it would be tough on big banks and investment firms, and hold them directly accountable for financial instability. During the two Democratic debates, Clinton was criticized by Senator Bernie Sanders for her close ties to Wall Street. Clinton’ Wall Street Plan, which she outlined in October, calls tougher regulations, but some say her plan is not tough enough on the banking industry. The full text of Clinton’s op-ed is below.
SEVEN years ago, the financial crisis sent our economy into a tailspin. Over five million people lost their homes. Nearly nine million lost their jobs. Nearly $13 trillion in household wealth was wiped out.
Under President Obama, our economy has come a long way back. Our businesses have created more than 13 million jobs. People’s savings are being restored. And we have tough new rules on the books, including the Dodd-Frank Act, that protect consumers and curb recklessness on Wall Street.
But not everyone sees that as a good thing. Republicans, both in Congress and on the campaign trail, are dead-set on rolling back critical financial protections.
Right now, Republicans in Congress are working to attach damaging deregulation riders to the must-pass spending bill. They’re attempting to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. They want to roll back common-sense efforts to prevent conflicts of interest by financial managers. And they’re trying to undo constraints on risk at some of the largest and most complex financial institutions.
President Obama and congressional Democrats should do everything they can to stop these efforts. But it’s not enough simply to protect the progress we have made. As president, I would not only veto any legislation that would weaken financial reform, but I would also fight for tough new rules, stronger enforcement and more accountability that go well beyond Dodd-Frank.
My comprehensive plan has already won praise from progressives like Sherrod Brown and Barney Frank. Here’s what it would do.
First, we need to further rein in major financial institutions. My plan proposes legislation that would impose a new risk fee on dozens of the biggest banks — those with more than $50 billion in assets — and other systemically important financial institutions to discourage the kind of hazardous behavior that could induce another crisis. I would also ensure that the federal government has — and is prepared to use — the authority and tools necessary to reorganize, downsize and ultimately break up any financial institution that is too large and risky to be managed effectively. No bank or financial firm should be too big to manage.
My plan would strengthen the Volcker Rule by closing the loopholes that still allow banks to make speculative gambles with taxpayer-backed deposits. And I would fight to reinstate the rules governing risky credit swaps and derivatives at taxpayer-backed banks, which were repealed during last year’s budget negotiations after a determined lobbying campaign by the banks.
My plan also goes beyond the biggest banks to include the whole financial sector. Some have urged the return of a Depression-era rule called Glass-Steagall, which separated traditional banking from investment banking. But many of the firms that contributed to the crash in 2008, like A.I.G. and Lehman Brothers, weren’t traditional banks, so Glass-Steagall wouldn’t have limited their reckless behavior. Nor would restoring Glass-Steagall help contain other parts of the “shadow banking” sector, including certain activities of hedge funds, investment banks and other non-bank institutions. My plan would strengthen oversight of these activities, too — increasing leverage and liquidity requirements for broker-dealers and imposing strict margin requirements on the kinds of short-term borrowing that also played a major role in spurring the financial crisis. We need to tackle excessive risk wherever it lurks, not just in the banks.
Second, I would appoint tough, independent regulators and ensure that both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are independently funded — as other critical regulators are now — so that they can do their jobs without political interference. I would seek to impose a tax on harmful high-frequency trading, which makes markets less stable and less fair. And we need to reform stock market rules to ensure equal access to information, increase transparency and minimize conflicts of interest.
Finally, executives need to be held more accountable. No one should be too big to jail. I would seek to extend the statute of limitations for major financial crimes to 10 years from five and enhance rewards for whistle-blowers. I would work to ensure that financial firms admit wrongdoing as part of settlements in instances of egregious misconduct, and increase transparency about the terms of settlement and the fines actually paid to the government. Fines should be more than just the cost of doing business to these companies — they should be an effective disincentive for illegal behavior.
And it shouldn’t just be shareholders and taxpayers who feel the pain when banks make bad decisions; executives should have skin in the game. When a firm pays a fine, I would make sure that the penalty cuts into executives’ bonuses, too. And I would fight to close the carried interest loophole that gives some fund managers billions of dollars in tax breaks: They should be taxed like every other citizen.
Republicans may have decided to forget about the financial crisis that caused so much devastation — but I haven’t. The proper role of Wall Street is to help Main Street grow and prosper. When our financial sector works the right way, it helps families buy their first homes, entrepreneurs start and grow small businesses and hardworking Americans save for retirement. Rather than pursuing the kind of high-stakes speculation that devastated our economy before, Wall Street should focus on building an economy that creates good-paying jobs, rising incomes and sound investments so that more families can achieve the security of a middle-class life.
Today, Clinton was scheduled to attend private fundraisers in the Washington, DC area. For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Hillary Clinton Speeches 