Clinton's big plan to win the presidency is reportedly to just 'run out the clock'


In the wake of renewed interest in her private email server and her family's non-profit organization, Hillary Clinton reportedly has a new strategy to win the White House this fall: "Run out the clock." Politico's Annie Karni says that's how Clinton confidants sum up their candidate's thinking, as she seeks to dance fleet-footedly through the latest minefield of controversies surrounding her presidential aspirations.
Earlier this week, the FBI announced it had uncovered nearly 15,000 more emails from Clinton's private server that were not disclosed by her legal team during the initial email dump in December 2014. The emails themselves reveal that many foreign donors to her family's organization, the Clinton Foundation, also received access to Clinton while she was serving as secretary of state under President Obama. While no smoking gun exists, the optics, as they say, aren't great.
That's got Team Clinton looking to run out the next 75 days until Election Day on Nov. 8, Karni reports. "Clinton's team thinks 'they can ride out' any negative reaction to [the emails]," Karni writes. "'That doesn't mean no response,' one Clinton team insider said, 'but a muted one rather than a five-alarm fire.'" This decision apparently stems from the candidate's staunch belief that the entire email conspiracy is nothing but an unfounded partisan attack, and is rooted her confidence that rival Donald Trump's "profound weaknesses" will sink him regardless — read more on Clinton's thoroughly uninspiring strategy at Politico.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 4, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - deportation, Canadian politeness, and more
-
5 low approval cartoons about poll numbers
Cartoons Artists take on fake pollsters, shared disapproval, and more
-
Deepfakes and impostors: the brave new world of AI jobseeking
In The Spotlight More than 80% of large companies use AI in their hiring process, but increasingly job candidates are getting in on the act
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábgego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
Canada's Liberals, Carney win national election
Speed Read The party of Prime Minister Mark Carney beat Conservative Pierre Poilievre thanks in part to Trump's trade war
-
Trump's 100-day approval ratings at historic low
Speed Read Americans appear to be wary of Trump's sweeping tariffs and handling of the economy
-
Judge blocks key part of Trump's elections overhaul
Speed Read Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's decision temporarily bars federal officials from requiring Americans to prove they are citizens to register to vote
-
Hegseth's chief of staff joins Pentagon exodus
Speed Read Joe Kasper has stepped down, leaving the Defense Secretary 'increasingly isolated'