On Thursday, Hillary Clinton spoke at the Women in the World Summit in New York City. After being introduced by Samantha Bee, Clinton was interviewed by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. Clinton and Kristof discussed a number of topics including recent chemical attacks by Syrian President Bashar Assad. Clinton called for airstrikes on Syrian airfields, which President Donald Trump announced hours later. Other topics discussed include the failure of Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the Trump presidency, women’s rights around the world, sexism in the election, and what she learned from the election, and whether she will run for office again in the future.
Clinton said that she still does not fully understand the animosity some people feel toward her saying, “I am not perfect, everybody knows that by now … Sometimes I don’t know quite how to fix what they are concerned about. But I try. And so, I take it seriously, but I don’t any longer, and haven’t for a long time taken it personally. Because part of the attacks … part of the bullying and part of the name calling — and that has certainly become more pervasive — is to crush your spirit and feel inadequate. And I just refused to do that — and that infuriated everyone.” However, she vowed to keep fighting for what’s right and for the American people. A full video from the event is below.
On Thursday in North Carolina, Hillary Clinton continued to make her closing argument for the presidency, outlining her record of championing the interests of people of color throughout her career–in contrast with Donald Trump’s history of racial discrimination and divisive rhetoric. Throughout her professional life and candidacy, Hillary has pledged to take on social injustice, including systemic racism and sexism. If elected president, Hillary has vowed to pass end-to-end criminal justice reform and implement common sense gun reform, priorities of great concern to communities of color.
Trump, on the other hand, has throughout his life and this campaign repeatedly instilled division and hate–from championing the racist birther movement and courting conspiracy theorists, to calling for a deportation force for immigrant families and banning Muslims.
Long before Trump ran for president, he was sued by the Department of Justice for racial discrimination at his family’s housing developments in Brooklyn and Queens–in addition to discrimination at properties in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Norfolk, Virginia. Federal investigators were told that Trump employees would mark applications of prospective renters with “C” for “colored” and refused to rent to African Americans. At her event in Winterville today, Mae Brown Wiggins, a registered nurse who was turned away from an apartment Trump managed because of her skin color, introduced Hillary, describing the impact Trump’s actions had on her life.
Years later, in the 1980’s, Trump took out full-page ads in four newspapers calling for the death penalty for a group of black and Latino teenagers who were wrongly convicted of a crime, some as young as 14 years old. Just recently, Trump doubled down on his view that the five men, who were exonerated based on DNA evidence, are still guilty and should go to jail. Trump’s refusal to accept the evidence and admit he was wrong about the Central Park 5 is deeply disturbing, and continues to exacerbate deep and painful wounds borne by the men and their families.
The choice is clear. Americans deserve a president who believes Americans are stronger together, not one whose dark and divisive vision is fundamentally at odds with who we are as Americans.
As the presidential election draws to a close, here’s a recap of Trump’s pattern of discrimination and divisiveness:
A History of Housing Discrimination
Trump was twice sued by the Department of Justice for discrimination in housing.
Despite Trump’s claim that many companies were sued for discrimination when he was, the truth is that Fred and Donald Trump’s violation of the law was so egregious that the case made against them was “one of the strongest”
At the first presidential debate, Trump admitted he was sued for housing discrimination saying, “we settled… it was very easy.”
Trump’s real estate company had a disturbing practice of marking applications from black families with the letter “‘C’, for ‘Colored.”
A Trump building manager had the rental application of a black woman and was instructed to “‘Take the application and put it in a drawer and leave it there,’ Mr. Leibowitz, now 88, recalled in an interview.”
The N-word was used Trump offices and Donald was reportedly was in the room when it happened.
Black families made up a tiny percentage of renters in Trump-owned buildings.
Trump vs. Central Park 5
Trump paid for a racially provocative ad calling on New York lawmakers to reinstate the death penalty for five teenage Latino and African American men who were wrongfully accused of raping a woman.
Trump refused to acknowledge the innocence of The Central Park 5 even after their 2014 exoneration.
Trump continued pushing his birtherism theory to delegitimize President Barack Obama every Trump’s conspiracy theory: President Obama is a Muslim and rendered ineligible for the presidency because he was born in Kenya.
When asked what he would say to people of color who were hurt by his remarks Trump repeatedly said, “I say nothing.”
Trump said African Americans have “nothing to lose” by voting for him because: “You’re living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs.”
Trump continues to ignore history and disparage black Americans, saying the African American community is in the worst shape “ever, ever, ever” and African Americans in cities are “living in hell” and living in “war zones.”
Trump retweeted “racially loaded” and “wildly inaccurate” statistics claiming Blacks were responsible for 81 percent of White homicides.
Hateful Movements
Trump’s campaign shared an anti-Semitic image on his twitter that first appeared on white supremacist websites.
Trump has received an outpouring of support from hate movements like the alt-right.
White Supremacists used Trump’s candidacy as a recruiting tool.
White Supremacists and Klan members supported Trump, comparing his views to their views.
David Duke said Trump has “Made it OK to talk about these incredible concerns of European Americans today, because I think European Americans know they are the only group that can’t defend their own essential interests and their point of view.
“Virginia KKK Leader Endorses Trump: ‘What He Believes In, We Believe In.’”
Trump on being supported by White Supremacists: “A lot of people like me.”
More Discrimination in Trump Organization
Trump Plaza was fined $200,000 for shuffling Black and female dealers away from a high-rollers table to accommodate the preferences of patron and “reputed mob figure” Robert LiButti.
Trump Marina was fined for requesting non-Black driver.
When Trump came to his casino, Black people were allegedly ordered off the floor, according to a former employee in a report by The New Yorker.
Senator Bernie Sanders campaigned on behalf of Hillary Clinton in Michigan today. His first event was held in Dearborn where he spoke to a crowd of supporters at the local UAW hall. During his speech, Sanders spoke about a number of Hillary’s platform points including her plan to create jobs and her support of labor unions. He also went after Donald Trump for avoiding to pay income taxes. Overall, however, Sanders offered a populist tone saying, “This campaign is not about Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton — it is about you and your families. We’re not voting for class president of our high school … we are fighting for the survival of the middle class.” A video from the event is below.
Sanders then traveled to Ann Arbor where he spoke to an enthusiastic crowd on the campus of the University of Michigan. During the event, Sanders spoke about the importance of voting, particularly young people, and urged them to get out and vote in November. He spoke about a number of Hillary’s platform points and specifically focused on her plans to reduce the cost of higher education. He said, “What she said is, I should tell the American people that in the first 100 days of her administration she will roll out a very specific plan to make public colleges and universities tuition free for all families earning less than $125,000 a year. And have an aggressive approach to reducing student debt.” Watch a video of Sanders’ speech below.
In Lansing, Sanders spoke to a crowd of students and supporters on the campus of Michigan State University. Sanders continued to speak about a number of Hillary’s platform points while going after Trump for his policies. Focusing on the economy and the struggle of the middle class, he said, “We have come a long way in fighting racism, sexism, homophobia. But today we have one huge struggle in front of us, and that is the economic struggle. And that means that we should not be living in a nation which has more wealth and income inequality than any other major country on earth.” A video of Sanders speech is below.
Sanders’ final event of the day was a rally in Grand Rapids. During the event, Sanders continued with his populist tone talking about the local economy and how a number Hillary’s proposals will be beneficial to the area. He spoke about raising the minimum wage and creating new good paying jobs in the area by reinvesting in manufacturing and clean energy. A video from the event will be posted when/if available.
Chelsea Clinton meanwhile was in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she spoke about Hillary’s plans to help mothers and families. During the event, Chelsea highlighted a number of Hillary’s platform points including her plans to cap the out of pocket costs of childcare, ensure that women are paid equally, raise the minimum wage, and create new jobs by investing in infrastructure and clean energy. Chelsea also spoke about the public perception of her mother saying, “I don’t understand the caricature of my mom. I wish more people could see the huggable, lovable, hilarious side of her that I see now when we are together, with my children, and that I have known my whole life.” Chelsea closed out the event by answering questions from those in attendance. A video from the event will be added when/if available.
In Los Angeles, California, a fundraiser was held on behalf of Hillary for America. The event featured a conversation with Senator Al Franken.
On Friday, the website The Toast posted its final articles before shutting down. The site has been a champion of a number of topics including feminism, religion, and sexism. Hillary Clinton was clearly a fan of the site as one of the site’s final posts today was a letter from Clinton thanking the blog’s readers for their loyalty and the writers for their work. In the letter, Clinton tells them to “keep giving them hell” before concluding “we’re counting on you.” You can read the full letter below or on the website HERE.
Dear readers,
I know that today is the final day of The Toast, and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what this space — and spaces like it — mean for women.
In nearly every industry, from publishing to scientific research, women have had to forge their own paths against overwhelming odds and less-than-friendly welcomes. When I arrived in the Senate in 2001, I was one of just 13 women, and I remember how thankful I was for my female colleagues on both sides of the aisle. My friend Barbara Mikulski famously started a tradition of dinner parties for all the women of the Senate. Over a glass of wine — okay, maybe three — we’d give each other support, advice, and highly relevant tips to navigate being in such an extreme minority.
I’ve always had great admiration for women like Barb who take it upon themselves to create spaces where women can speak their minds freely. With this site, Mallory, Nicole and Nikki did the same for so many women — and they made us laugh and think along the way.
I’m looking forward to seeing what they — and the many great writers who’ve contributed to The Toast — do next. (At least two are working for my campaign!) As we look back at what this site has meant to so many of you, I hope you’ll also look forward and consider how you might make your voice heard in whatever arenas matter most to you. Speak your opinion more fervently in your classes if you’re a student, or at meetings in your workplace. Proudly take credit for your ideas. Have confidence in the value of your contributions. And if the space you’re in doesn’t have room for your voice, don’t be afraid to carve out a space of your own. You never know — you might just be the next Nicole Cliffe, Mallory Ortberg or Nikki Chung.
Thank you, and as my friend Barb would say — keep giving them hell. We’re counting on you.
On Friday, Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan attended a number of events across the country in support of Hillary Clinton. Bill began in Kansas City, Missouri, making up for an appearance he had to previously cancel due to weather. Speaking at the Kansas City Carpenters Union Training Facility, Bill spoke about Hillary’s experience and her plans to build upon progress that has already been made. He criticized Hillary’s Democratic rival Bernie Sanders for wanting to scrap health care and start over saying, “It’s a lot easier to go from 90 to 100 than it is to go from zero to 100.” A video from his speech is below.
Bill then traveled to Springfield, Missouri for a rally at the Teamsters Hall. During his speech, he said that it was great to be back in the Ozarks, where he and Hillary were married in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Bill said that Hillary is the best qualified candidate running for either party, and she will make sure everyone has a change in America. He also spoke about a variety of platform topics including heath care and making higher education more affordable. You can watch a video of his speech by CLICKING HERE.
Bill rounded out the day at a Get Out the Vote event in Peoria, Illinois. During his speech, Clinton spoke about Hillary’s plans to boost manufacturing and build on heath care. At one point, Bill was interrupted by a protester. The protester left after shouting above the crowd to which Bill said, “I listened to you, why won’t you stay and listen to me?” He then continued to talk about Hillary’s plans to reduce higher education costs and help those currently paying off student debt.
Chelsea spent the day attending events across the state of Florida as they gear up to vote in the Democratic primary on March 15. She began the day in Tallahassee where she spoke at two separate events. During each of the events, Chelsea spoke about her mom’s record and experience and called the 2016 election “the most important presidential election in my lifetime.” She criticized Republicans for their proposed policies saying, “The racism, the sexism, the Islamophobia, the homophobia, the anti-immigrant rhetoric, the anti-workers rhetoric … it is an almost endless list. And then the policy ideas that flow from that – to build a wall, to expel 11 or 12 million people who are here working hard for lives of dignity and opportunity and promise for themselves and their families, to keep a list of every American Muslim. We need a president to stand up and protect our values.”
Chelsea then attended events in Sarasota and St. Petersburg. At each of the events she, again, spoke about the importance of the 2016 election and how it will have ripple effects on the economy and Supreme Court. She also spoke about Hillary’s plans to build upon the progress of the last eight years and improve heath care, address gun violence, and make a college education more affordable. She said, “Clearly we don’t live in a single issue country and we need a president that understands that as President Obama certainly does.” A video from the St. Petersburg event is available on C-SPAN.
In California, Kwan attended three fundraisers. The first was in San Jose, then Kwan headed to Oakland for an event hosted by Assemblymember Rob Bonta, Sonia Delen, Andy Duong, Dr. Rollington Ferguson, and Zach Wasserman. The final event of the day was a fundraiser in San Francisco. Kwan met with a number of female lawyers at the event hosted by Sara Brody, Lindsay Carlson, Lauri Damrell, Lisa Gilford, Gay Gunfeld, Valerie McGinty, Drucilla Ramey, Ann Patterson.
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s interview by BuzzFeed’s Another Round Podcast was published this evening, and during the interview, Clinton is asked a number of questions by the shows hosts Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton. While they did talk about about her policies as president and her campaign, they also moved away from politics to discuss pop culture, her favorite TV show The Good Wife, sexism in Washington, and squirrels. It’s an interesting interview. You can listen the episode of the Podcast below, on SoundCloud, or on iTunes.
Hillary Clinton Speeches 