RNC deems Hillary Clinton's commencement speech a 'stark reminder' of why she lost

(Image credit: Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

published 26 May 2017

It may almost be June 2017, but 2016 presidential election rhetoric lives on. After Hillary Clinton took some jabs at President Trump during her commencement speech Friday at her alma mater, Wellesley College, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released a statement swinging back. "Today's speech was a stark reminder why Hillary Clinton lost in 2016," McDaniel said in the statement. "Instead of lashing out with the same partisan talking points, Hillary Clinton would be wise to look inward, talk about why she lost, and expand the dwindling base of Democratic Party supporters — we won't hold our breath though."

Clinton didn't call Trump out by name in her speech, which she began by discussing former President Richard Nixon and what it was like living through his resignation. "We were furious about the past presidential election of a man whose presidency would eventually end in disgrace with his impeachment for obstruction of justice," Clinton said. She added that this happened "after firing the person running the investigation into him at the Department of Justice," a not-so-veiled allusion to Trump's recent firing of former FBI Director James Comey.

Clinton encouraged the graduates to remain hopeful despite the "full-fledged assault on truth and reason" and to reach out to people "hurt" by the Trump administration's newly introduced budget plan, which she called a "con."