In first post-election interview, former Democratic presidential candidate calls for US intervention in Syria and a ‘patriotic’ investigation into Russia

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

In her first interview since losing the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton said misogyny had played a role in her election loss.

Clinton “spends a lot of time wrestling” with the fact that 53% of white women voted for Trump and the impact of her gender on her loss, she said at the Women in the World summit.

“Certainly misogyny played a role,” she said.

In a wide-ranging interview, Clinton also called for US intervention in Syria, spoke about how being an ambitious woman had turned her into “Typhoid Mary”, and called for a bipartisan investigation into Russian interference in the election.

Clinton called on politicians on both sides to “start acting like patriotic Americans” by investigating Russian involvement in the election.



“What was done to us was an act of aggression and it was carried out by a foreign power under the control of someone who has a deep desire to dominate Europe and to send us into a tailspin,” Clinton said at the Women in the World summit. “What Putin wanted to do was sow distrust and confusion as well as influence our election.”

The destruction of Hillary Clinton: sexism, Sanders, and the millennial feminists | Susan Bordo Read more

The former secretary of state explained that she believed Russian’s interference was “the weaponization of information” in the form of “a thousand agents, bots and trolls” and that an independent, non-partisan investigation was needed.

“I’m hopeful Congress will pull together and realize because of the success the Kremlin feels it had, they’re not going to go away,” she said.

The New York Times reporter Nicholas Kristof, who conducted the interview in front of thousands at a Lincoln Center theater, asked if Syria policy had been the biggest mistake of the Obama administration.

Clinton reiterated that in 2012, she and the then CIA director, David Petraeus, had devised a plan to arm rebels, but it was rejected.

“I thought we should have done more at that point,” she said.

She noted that most of the civilian deaths came because of airstrikes and argued that more could still be done to stop Assad’s airforce and protect civilians.

“I really believe we should have and still should take out his airfields and prevent him from being able to bomb innocent people and drop sarin gas on them,” said Clinton.

As for what comes next, Clinton is working on a book that delves into why she failed to win the election.

Research shows that for men, success and ambition are correlated, while for women it’s the opposite, noted Clinton. She pointed out that when she left the state department, she had a high 65% approval rating.

“It was a job I was asked to do by a man,” said Clinton, noting that public opinion changed when she declared her interest in running for the highest office in the land.

“By the time they finished with me, I was Typhoid Mary,” said Clinton.

Mary Mallon, the first person in the US with typhoid, was quarantined and kept alone for decades.

“Poor Mary, she didn’t deserve it either, when you go back and look at the history,” said Clinton.

Clinton also took some digs at the man who took the job she had sought.

When talking about Vladimir Putin’s attempts to destabilize the US, she pointed out that he did not like strong women, “although he did shake hands with me”, a clear reference to Donald Trump’s refusal to shake Angela Merkel’s hand during a White House meeting.

The crowd, which gave Clinton a standing ovation when she appeared, laughed and cheered.

She also dryly quipped that she found Trump’s failed attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act “somewhat gratifying”.