Watch: Hillary Clinton Weeps as She Reads Her 2016 Victory Speech That Never Happened
22:51 GMT 08.12.2021 (Updated: 13:01 GMT 14.04.2023)
© AFP 2023 / Brendan Smialowski
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The presidential election of 2016 in the United States will stand out for a long time, as Donald Trump's victory surprised even his supporters. The predictions and forecasts of pundits and pollsters did not come true, and the outcome led to the disappointment of those Democratic voters who wanted to see Clinton as president.
Twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton got emotional while reading her would-be victory address as president-elect, prepared in 2016. She revealed that she did not prepare a speech in case of defeat, as she never anticipated losing.
She shared part of her speech on NBC's new Masterclass streaming platform.
Clinton spoke about her never-delivered address as the first woman president in an interview with NBC's Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist, to be aired on Sunday.
According to her, there was no concession speech as even though her campaign had had “a lot of bumps these last 10 days,” she was certain of victory.
She also said in the interview that her speech outlined her journey and had an emphasis on her mother’s life.
“As a way of making it clear that, yes, I would be the first woman president,” she continued. “But I, like everybody stood on the shoulders and lived the lives and experiences of those who came before us.”
Before presenting her speech, Clinton noted that she is “going to face one of my most public defeats head-on by sharing with you the speech I had hoped to deliver if I had won the 2016 election.”
According to the politician, she “never shared this with anybody and never read this out loud.”
“My fellow Americans, today you sent a message to the whole world. Our values endure. Our democracy stands strong. And our motto remains: e pluribus unum. Out of many, one,” she started.
She continued her speech, saying “we will not be defined only by our differences, we will not be an us versus them country. The American dream is big enough for everyone. Through a long, hard campaign, we were challenged to choose between two very different visions for America. How we grow together, how we live together, and how we face a world full of peril and promise together.”
Some things are best left in the drafts… pic.twitter.com/qYIYfuc46h
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 8, 2021
Clinton almost burst into tears when she spoke about her desire to share her victory with her mother, who passed away in 2011.
“I dream of going up to her, and sitting down next to her, taking her into my arms, and saying, ‘Look at me. Listen to me. You will survive. You will have a good family of your own. And three children. And as hard as it might be to imagine, your daughter will grow up and become the president of the United States’,” she said.
Twitter reacted to her emotional adress, with some mocking her desire to stay in politics and dwell on the past.
— DVZ MΞMΞS (@FreedomInc5) December 8, 2021
Oh god
— Happy Mantis Sprimp 🦐 (@HappyMantShrimp) December 8, 2021
Are they grooming her to be the next candidate
That's a surefire way to lose
It's like reading the speech Hitler would have given on the steps of the US Capitol had things gone differently in WWII
— 10bucksfree (@10bucksfree) December 8, 2021
Others appeared to be irritated with her hypocrisy given the scandalous leaks and speculation that undermined her campaign.
She’s lucky she’s not in jail, dreadful woman.
— Mark Clifford (@cliffordbloke) December 8, 2021
Why does this get coverage but her Husbands relationship with Epstein doesn’t?
— Poppy Hog (@TexHogs) December 8, 2021
Nevertheless, some suggested that things would be much better if Clinton had won.
She would’ve been better than last 3 presidents for sure.
— Naser Abuznaid (@NaserAbuiznied) December 8, 2021
The Democratic candidate lost the 2016 election by a small margin. The election was accompanied by a number of scandals related to leaked emails of the US Democratic National Committee. Later, Clinton and her allies accused Trump of having ties with Russia. The subsequent investigation proved the allegations were unsubstantial.
