Former President Bill Clinton said during a recent interview that the country may not be ready for a female president following Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to President-elect Donald Trump, and suggested a Republican woman might have an easier time getting elected.
“Maybe,” Clinton replied to CBS’ Tracy Smith’s question about whether the U.S. isn’t ready for a woman president. “I think in some ways we’ve moved to the right as a reaction to all the turmoil. And I think if Hillary had been nominated in 2008, she would’ve walked in, just like Obama did.”
Clinton spoke to Smith about his new book, “Citizen,” and was asked if the country had changed following Harris’ loss. The book also reportedly details his frustration while being questioned about his infamous affair with Monica Lewinsky.
“Well, I think all these cultural battles that we’re fighting make it harder in some ways for a woman to run,” he said.
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“So, you think it has more to do with party than gender?” Smith followed up.
“No,” Clinton responded. “Although I think it would probably be easier for a conservative Republican woman to win.”
The former Democratic president said it was because that was what Margaret Thatcher did and added, “I still think we’ll have a female president pretty soon.”
Smith also asked Clinton about why his book includes a portion on his affair with Lewinsky.
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“Because I thought I needed to say something about it, and I wanted to be as helpful as I could to let her turn the page. I think she should be given a chance to build a life that is about her and the future, and not, you know, being whiplashed into an old story,” Clinton said.
“I live with it all the time,” Clinton wrote in “Citizens” of the Lewinsky scandal, according to a report. He also reportedly complimented her work on bullying.
“I wish her nothing but the best,” he wrote.
Clinton campaigned for Harris in the final stretch, and appeared alongside President Biden while he was still in the race and campaigning. The former president also said it would be a “travesty” if Trump became the president again.
