CNN‘s Anderson Cooper chose Hillary Clinton as the first target of tonight’s first Democratic debate.
“We’re going to be discussing a lot of the issues, many of the important issues that you have brought up,” said Cooper. “I want to begin with concerns that voters have about each of the candidates here on the stage that they have about each of you. Secretary Clinton, I’ll start with you. Some Democrats believe you changed your positions based on political expediency. You were against same-sex marriage, now you’re for it. You defended President Obama’s immigration policies, now you say they’re too harsh. You supported his trade deal dozens of times, you even called it the gold standard… Now, suddenly last week you’re against it. Will you say anything to get elected?”
Hillary’s response builds in a caveat she didn’t use in her 2012 remarks at Techport Australia. “Take the trade deal. I did say, when I was Secretary of State three years ago, that I hoped it would be the gold standard. It was just finally negotiated last week. And in looking at it, it didn’t meet my standards,” said the former secretary of state.
In 2012, here is what Clinton had to say about the trade deal:
Clinton inadvertently answered Cooper’s question with her spin: she will say anything to get elected.
Watch the full clip here:
