Hillary Clinton said she was “horrified” by the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump and called it “terrible”, but accused him of “continuing to make inflammatory statements to upset people”.
“It's really frightening that we've had two such horrific events in our country in a relatively short period of time. It's frightening to see violence threatened and used in a political campaign,” Clinton told Katie Couric on Monday when asked about the incident.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged with two gun offenses on Monday after he was accused of pressing a rifle against a fence around Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, and being shot by a Secret Service agent.
When asked about messagesTrump posted Clinton on Monday blasted her 2016 presidential opponent on Truth Social, accusing President Biden and Vice President Harris of taking politics to “a whole new level of hate, abuse and distrust.”
“I'm worried about political violence. I'm worried about intimidation. I'm worried about what's being said online,” Clinton said.
“If he is truly a leader, he should do what he can to calm things down instead of continuing to make inflammatory statements just to infuriate people.”
Clinton said Trump remains an “enduring” politician because he “continues to excite, anger and upset people.”
“I think it's helpful to have some understanding of history and to know that in many societies' political systems, people who can empathize with people's fears, their anxieties, their anger and their hatred make very effective demagogues,” Clinton said.
“I think what he's done is opened that door for our country.”
The 76-year-old former first lady praised President Biden's “patriotic decision” to drop out of the presidential race in July and endorse Harris.
Clinton said she didn't have “inside information” about Biden's decision and told Couric she was surprised by the disastrous performance in the presidential debate between her and Trump in June.
“When we watched the debate, like every other American, we were surprised, even shocked,” she said of her and former President Clinton's reaction.
“It was impossible to recover,” Clinton said.
Clinton said Harris ran a “near-flawless campaign.”
As the first female major party nominee in American history, Clinton said she “didn't know how I would feel if another woman came so close to breaking glass.”
It reached the ceiling and I was so excited.”
Clinton described her speech at last month's Democratic National Convention in Chicago as an “emotional moment.”
“It really felt like a passing of the baton,” Clinton told the audience.
“It's not just about breaking through the glass ceiling. It's about what's on the other side of the glass ceiling.”
The wide-ranging conversation also included some light-hearted topics.
After Couric spotted Clinton wearing the friendship bracelet, the former White House candidate said a woman in the crowd gave her the Taylor Swift-inspired accessory.
“I love Taylor Swift so I'm happy to receive this gift,” Clinton said to cheers.
When asked if Swift's public endorsement of Harris' campaign in an Instagram post last week could have an impact on the White House race, Clinton replied, “I believe there are a lot of doors that can be opened to get people to vote and to vote for a particular candidate, and celebrities can do that.”
“Even people who haven't really thought about voting because they're young or busy or whatever the reason, can have a breakthrough,” Clinton said. “I think all of that makes a difference.”
“This election is close, it's close, and anything that will get someone to actually go out and vote, to vote for their future, to vote for Vice President Harris, is a good thing,” Clinton said.
