Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sparked heated discussions during a recent speaking engagement at The 92nd Street Y in New York, where she made controversial remarks about women in the Republican party.
According to The Daily Caller, Clinton characterized nearly all Republican women as "handmaiden[s] to the patriarchy" during a video discussion posted on May 15, except for a select few she deemed worthy of exemption.
The comments emerged during a conversation with interviewer Margaret Hoover about advice for America's future first female president. Clinton's remarks echo her controversial "basket of deplorables" statement from her 2016 presidential campaign, which many political analysts believe contributed to her eventual defeat.
In her assessment of Republican women, Clinton specifically named Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski as one of the few exceptions to her characterization. She also agreed with the interviewer's mention of former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney as another example.
Murkowski has demonstrated her independence from party lines through several key decisions. She opposed Trump's nomination of Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary and his pardons of January 6 Capitol rioters. The Alaska senator also joined Democrats and three other Republican senators to end Trump's national emergency declaration regarding Canadian tariffs.
Cheney, who lost her 2022 reelection bid by a significant margin to Trump-backed candidate Harriet Hageman, served on the January 6 Select Committee. She later endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, further distancing herself from mainstream Republican positions.
The former presidential candidate's latest comments bring to mind her infamous 2016 campaign statement where she categorized half of Trump's supporters as belonging to a "basket of deplorables."
Clinton made these remarks at a fundraiser in New York, saying:
You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic — you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up. He tweets and retweets their offensive hateful mean-spirited rhetoric. Now, some of those folks — they are irredeemable, but thankfully they are not America.
Following widespread criticism, Clinton expressed regret about using the term "half" but stood by her general characterization. The controversy became a rallying point for Trump supporters during the 2016 campaign.
Similar controversies have continued to emerge in recent political discourse. President Biden faced backlash in October 2024 for referring to Trump supporters as "garbage."
Trump responded with political theater, hosting a press conference from inside a garbage truck while wearing a safety vest.
These recurring incidents highlight the ongoing polarization in American politics. Harris's recent electoral performance showed strong support among women and college-educated white voters, while Trump maintained his base among men and white voters without college degrees.
Hillary Clinton's recent characterization of Republican women as "handmaidens to the patriarchy" represents her latest controversial statement about political opponents.
The remarks were made during a discussion at The 92nd Street Y in New York, where she offered advice about the future of female leadership in American politics.
The incident has reignited debates about political rhetoric and its impact on voter perception, particularly given Clinton's previous "basket of deplorables" comment that many believe influenced her 2016 presidential campaign outcome.
