Do you need any more evidence that politicians only command those massive speaking fees because someone hopes to curry favor for once they’re in office? Here you go: Hillary Clinton’s speaking fees appear to be taking a bit of a dive as the former Democratic presidential candidate continues to come to terms with her historic loss to President Trump.
According to Rutgers, Clinton was paid $25,000 for her speech to the university last Thursday, approximately $7,000 less than Jersey Shore cast member Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, who was paid $32,000 by the University to speak in 2011.
The topic of Clinton’s speech was her experience of being a woman in politics, where she said she was “targeted” as a result of her gender, and also called the 2016 election experience “traumatic.” The former secretary of state also appeared to concede that she made a number of comments that may have offended a large swathe of voters, and wished she could take them back.
“I can do better,” Clinton admitted during her talk. “There are things I’ve said I’d like to take back.”
Clinton’s fee from Rutgers University is minuscule compared to what she has charged organizations in the past. According to official disclosures prior to the 2016 elections, the former secretary of state was paid an astounding $21.3 million for various speeches to corporations from 2013 to 2015, including massive financial corporations that Democrats have routinely criticized, such as Bank of America and Goldman Sachs. Based on the official numbers, Clinton was paid an average per speech that was well in excess of $200,000, and sometimes more than $300,000.
This sharp drop in speaking fees did not go unnoticed by members of the Trump administration, including counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway. When asked about Clinton’s low speaking fee, Conway took the chance to mock Clinton, noting that the fees were a fraction of what she used to get from corporations before the election.
“Hillary Clinton is still talking about her, and an election that happened a year and a half ago,” Conway said, during an appearance on Fox and Friends. “I also took note that it was publicly reported that she got about $25,000 for that speech. Woo! She used to get 10 times that, folks, 10 times that.”
Colleges are finally paying Clinton a more appropriate price. Now when will they stop inviting her altogether?
