Hillary Clinton apologized for praising the Reagans' response to AIDS

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton apologized Saturday for saying President and Nancy Reagan "started a national conversation" on HIV and AIDS.

"To be clear, the Reagans did not start a national conversation about HIV and AIDS," she wrote on Medium. "That distinction belongs to generations of brave lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, along with straight allies, who started not just a conversation but a movement that continues to this day."

The Reagans notoriously kept quiet in the first years of the disease.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Clinton's comments Saturday followed a shorter statement Friday, in which she said she "misspoke" about the Reagans' record. Read her full Medium post here.