Hillary Clinton, the former Democratic presidential candidate, is expressing concern over how women in the Republican Party may undermine female ambitions for the presidency, suggesting they sometimes come across as patriarchal subordinates.
In her view, with a few exceptions, many of these women do not support feminist ideals. During an event at the 92nd Street Y in New York City earlier this month, she remarked, “Well, first of all, don’t be a patriarchal pilot,” indicating that this perspective excludes most women from the other political side, but not all.
Clinton’s reflections on this topic emerged from a May 1 discussion, though the footage only surfaced last week. Various Republican women, whom Clinton does not classify as “patriarchal pilots,” include Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska and former Congresswoman Liz Cheney from Wyoming.
“There are a few,” she conceded, acknowledging the rarity of such individuals. Margaret Hoover, a Republican critic and host of PBS’s “Firing Line,” chose not to challenge Clinton’s comments at that moment. She mentioned that her husband, John Abron, had previously contested against Rep. Nick LaLota from New York.
Clinton lamented the ongoing struggle of women breaking the glass ceiling in presidential races, reflecting on her own loss and Kamala Harris’s defeat as well.
“You have to look, first you have to get there, and that’s obviously much more difficult than it should be,” she continued. “So, if a woman runs who you think will be a good president, I’ll support that woman, as I thought Kamala Harris would be.”
In contrast, Harris has mostly avoided overt gender politics during her brief campaign for the 2024 election. Notably, she gained significant support from female voters, surpassing that of President Trump according to exit poll data.
Beyond Harris and Clinton, Nikki Haley also attempted to establish herself in the Republican primary for 2024 but struggled to rival Trump for the nomination.
Clinton has previously scrutinized Republican women. In 2019, she released a book titled “The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience,” and later defended her choice not to include Margaret Thatcher in its pages.
“She doesn’t fit any other part of our definition of gutsy,” Clinton told BBC Radio at the time, noting her mixed legacy.
During the contentious 2016 campaign, Clinton famously grouped Trump supporters together in a statement she later regretted, calling them a “basket of deplorables.”
