Clinton: Harris can overcome ‘double standards of American politics’ and beat Trump

Former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Vice President Harris can overcome “double standards of American politics” and beat former President Trump in the upcoming presidential election.

“I know a thing or two about how hard it can be for strong women candidates to fight through the sexism and double standards of American politics,” Clinton said in an opinion piece in The New York Times, published Tuesday. “I’ve been called a witch, a ‘nasty woman’ and much worse. I was even burned in effigy.”

“As a candidate, I sometimes shied away from talking about making history. I wasn’t sure voters were ready for that,” Clinton continued. “And I wasn’t running to break a barrier; I was running because I thought I was the most qualified to do the job. While it still pains me that I couldn’t break that highest, hardest glass ceiling, I’m proud that my two presidential campaigns made it seem normal to have a woman at the top of the ticket.”

Harris became the likely Democratic nominee when President Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. If elected, she would be the first woman and first person of South Asian descent to hold the office of president.

Clinton herself broke a barrier when she became the first female presidential nominee of a major party back in 2016. However, she lost to Trump in the general election.

“Elections are about the future,” Clinton said in her piece. “That’s why I am excited about Vice President Kamala Harris. She represents a fresh start for American politics. She can offer a hopeful, unifying vision. She is talented, experienced and ready to be president. And I know she can defeat Donald Trump.”

Clinton contrasted Harris with Trump in her piece, calling the vice president “a savvy former prosecutor and successful vice president who embodies our faith that America’s best days are still ahead,” and the former president “a convicted criminal who cares only about himself and is trying to turn back the clock on our rights and our country.”

“It’s old grievances versus new solutions,” Clinton said. 

In an emailed statement to The Hill, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said that “Hillary Clinton continues to be the political kiss of death for anyone that associates with her.”

“She simply can’t cede the spotlight and is still reeling from her devastating loss to President Trump in 2016,” Cheung added.

Updated at 11:01 a.m. EDT