Spiritual self-help author-turned-presidential candidate Marianne Williamson made her mark during the second night of the 2020 Democratic debate at several moments on Thursday night in Miami. While the candidates battled through issues such as tax cuts, healthcare for undocumented immigrants, and how to beat President Trump in the general election, Williamson’s off-beat responses injected some levity into the often tense two-hour affair.
In her most attention-grabbing moment, the 66-year-old Californian said her first act as president would be to make a phone call. She said, “My first call is to the prime minister of New Zealand, who said that her goal is to make New Zealand the place where it’s the best place in the world for a child to grow up. And I will tell her, ‘Girlfriend, you are so wrong.’ Because the United States of America is going to be the best place in the world for a child to grow up.”
Williamson, who is known for her stances against vaccinations for children, also offered a unique perspective during a heated exchange about affordable healthcare access, saying: “We don’t have a healthcare system in the United States, we have a sickness care system in the United States. … What we need to talk about is why so many Americans have unnecessary chronic illnesses, so many more compared to other countries. … It has to do with chemical policies, it has to do with environmental policies.”
Near the conclusion of last night’s debate, Williamson declared that her winning strategy against Trump would be “love.” She said of the president: “You have harnessed fear for political purposes, and only love can cast that out. So I, sir, I have a feeling you know what you’re doing. I’m going to harness love for political purposes. I will meet you on that field, and, sir, love will win.”
Following her quirky comments during the debate, Twitter users took the opportunity to unearth some of the author’s past tweets that revealed her long history of making zany remarks about spirituality, feminism, child-rearing, and James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster film, Avatar.
Everyone feels on some level like an alien in this world, because we ARE. We come from another realm of consciousness, and long for home.
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) December 11, 2011
God is BIG, swine flu SMALL. See every cell of your body filled with divine light. Pour God’s love on our immune systems. Truth protects.
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) April 30, 2009
A grey sky is actually a blue sky covered up by grey clouds. A guilty person is actually an innocent soul covered up by mistaken behavior.
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) March 25, 2012
Calling all goddess types: this a perfect time to do ritualistic nature ceremonies invoking divine alignment between humanity and nature.
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) March 11, 2011
Visualize the oil spill plugged. Close your eyes for 5 minutes and see angels coming over it, filling it with sane and sacred thoughts. #fb
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) May 30, 2010
You’re a lamp; God is the electricity. You’re a faucet; God is the water. You’re a human; God is the divine within you. ALLOW the flow. #fb
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) March 17, 2010
If you want a simple explanation for what’s happening in America, watch AVATAR again.
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) October 26, 2017
All the films were good but AVATAR has changed the world. He didn’t win an Oscar tonight, but James Cameron deserves a Nobel Peace Price #fb
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) March 8, 2010
Each of us is pregnant with a better version of ourselves.
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) August 8, 2012
The real you is not a body. Your body is merely a suit of clothes. Physical birth was not your beginning and physical death is not your end.
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) January 8, 2016
In order for a child to be born, a woman’s body must expand. In order for a new world to be born, all of our minds must expand, our dedication has to deepen, our seriousness has to increase & our love needs to grow more fierce. We’ve been pregnant for a while; now labor has begun
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) October 18, 2018
