Hillary Clinton chokes up reading from her prepared 2016 victory speech
More than five years after election night 2016, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is revisiting the victory speech she "hoped to" deliver.
Clinton read parts of her prepared 2016 victory speech in a MasterClass lesson revealed in a preview of this week's Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist. "I've never shared this with anybody," she says. "I've never read it out loud."
The speech opens, "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."
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.
Clinton would have gone on to say that Americans during the 2016 campaign were "challenged to choose between two very different visions for America" and that voters in the end reached for "unity" and "decency." Clinton then would have celebrated the historic nature of the election of the first female president.
"In America, every boy and every girl can grow up to be whatever they dream, even president of the United States," she reads. "This is a victory for all Americans, men and women, boys and girls, because as our country has proven once again, when there are no ceilings, the sky's the limit."
At one point during the reading, Clinton choked up as she spoke about her late mother, wishing she could have told her about the election outcome. "I dream of going up to her and sitting down next to her, taking her in my arms, and saying, 'Look at me. Listen to me. You will survive,'" Clinton says. The speech would have concluded with Clinton telling Americans that "we will make America even greater than it has ever been."
Clinton said that by sharing the speech she never got to deliver, she was facing "one of my most public defeats head-on." The former Democratic candidate has previously said she didn't prepare a concession speech for election night "because I really thought I was going to win."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
Mall World: why are people dreaming about a shopping centre?Under The Radar Thousands of strangers are dreaming about the same thing and no one sure why
-
Why scientists are attempting nuclear fusionThe Explainer Harnessing the reaction that powers the stars could offer a potentially unlimited source of carbon-free energy, and the race is hotting up
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
