Bill Clinton defended Hillary Clinton’s public record Friday by telling a crowd of supporters that she accomplished much within the legal bounds of her offices when she served as first lady, senator and secretary of state.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time. I know what works and who’s good,” the former president said at a campaign stop Friday in Jacksonville, Fla. “She is the best change-maker I’ve ever known. I almost fell out of my chair, listening to [the third debate] when [GOP nominee Donald Trump] said, ‘Well, you’ve been there 30 years!'”
“It was amazing, I was listening to this debate with [Trump] saying, ‘This sounds great, you’ve been here 30 years and what have you done?'” he added, referring to Trump’s repeated suggestion that she could have done more as a senator.
“She wasn’t dictator,” Clinton said to laughs.
The former president’s remarks came as a direct response to Trump’s oft-repeated criticism the Democratic nominee has accomplished nothing in all her years of public service.
The Republican nominee has accused Clinton of being an ineffective politician, and has said on multiple occasions that she has done nothing in her 30 years as a public figure.
“She’s been doing this for 30 years,” the Republican candidate said at the third and final presidential debate this week. “You were very much involved in every aspect of this country. Very much. And you do have experience. I say the one thing you have over me is experience. But it is bad experience because what you’ve done has turned out badly.”
“For 30 years you’ve been in a position to help,” Trump added. “The problem is, you talk but you don’t get anything done, Hillary.”
On Friday, America’s 42nd president addressed Trump’s criticism.
“Well, first of all, that’s not quite factually accurate, but that doesn’t seem to be a requirement for statements in this election,” Clinton said to laughs.
He then went on to list a few of the things that Clinton claims as professional accomplishments, including “taking the lead” as first lady to see the children’s health insurance program passed and “taking the lead to help rebuild New York City” after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The bottom line, Clinton added, is that she accomplished quite a lot in public office, and that what Trump has suggested would require a strong-arm authoritarian working outside the legal limits of his office.
