After previously disparaging supporters of former President Donald Trump as a “basket of deplorables,” 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton sought to strike a more inclusive tone when promoting the latest episode of her podcast.
Apparently concluding that her divisive approach to politics has helped fuel backlash against the Democratic Party, she touted her conversation with former campaign staffer Sarah Stewart Holland and United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas as a primer for Americans confused about how to carry on a conversation with individuals who have differing opinions.
“With holidays & family gatherings coming up, I think this week’s episode of my podcast will resonate with some of you,” Clinton wrote. “I spoke with two pros at difficult conversations … about how we can talk, heart to heart, with people we may not see eye to eye with.”
Of course, encouraging heart-to-heart conversations with Trump supporters seems to represent a sharp departure from her take on the matter as recently as last month.
In a CNN interview several weeks ago, the former secretary of state implied that those who align with Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement should be sent to modern-day re-education camps.
“Maybe there needs to be a formal deprogramming of the cult members,” she asserted.
Taking another shot at her political opponents, Clinton declared: “And sadly, so many of those extremists, those MAGA extremists, take their marching orders from Donald Trump, who has no credibility left by any measure. He’s only in it for himself.”
The Trump campaign created an ad capitalizing on her remarks.
🚨 MUST SEE — New Ad from Team Trump: “Brainwashed” pic.twitter.com/xTMCBqACvp
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 19, 2023
Before she shifted her tone to promote congenial holiday dinner conversations, Clinton used her recent CNN interview to disparage Trump supporters even further by claiming without evidence that they are motivated by various forms of bigotry.
“Maybe they don’t like migrants, maybe they don’t like gay people or Black people or the woman who got the promotion at work they didn’t get, whatever the reason,” she said.
Clinton went on to speculate that “the base of the Republican Party” operates under the “emotional and psychological” misperception that Trump represents their interests.
Without acknowledging the vitriol dripping from her own remarks, Clinton said of Trump and his supporters: “He and his very negative, nasty form of politics resonates with them.”
