President Donald Trump sought Tuesday to distract from the growing furor over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal by pushing extraordinary claims that Barack Obama tried to mount a coup.
The accusations, delivered in the Oval Office, followed a surprise announcement that Trump’s Department of Justice would question an imprisoned, key former assistant to Epstein.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on X that disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein’s alleged pedophile scheme, would be queried for new information.
“No lead is off-limits,” Blanche said.
However, the show of transparency appeared to be part of a concerted effort by the White House and Trump’s allies to quell speculation about the convicted sex offender, who was long rumored to be a pedophile pimp to the powerful and who committed suicide in his prison cell in 2019.
While meeting with the Philippines’ president in the White House, Trump dismissed the Epstein case as “a witch hunt.”
“The witch hunt that you should be talking about is, they caught President Obama, absolutely cold,” he said, launching into a meandering series of unsubstantiated accusations around Obama trying to “steal” the 2016 election, when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton.
“Obama was leading a coup,” Trump said.
An Obama spokesman called the claim “outrageous.”
The coup accusation centers on claims that fly in the face of multiple high-level official probes by the US government. However, it resonates with Trump’s far-right base — in part thanks to blanket coverage by the popular Fox News network.
Trump’s attacks on Obama are “part of a larger strategy of distraction, but they also serve another function: to cast the president as a victim of Democratic treachery,” said Todd Belt, at GW University’s Graduate School of Political Management.
Obama’s spokesman echoed this, saying Trump engaged in a “ridiculous and weak attempt at distraction.”
In another ploy to bury the Epstein controversy, Speaker Mike Johnson, a key Trump Republican loyalist, said he would shut down the House of Representatives until September.
This was to avoid what he called “political games” over attempts by mostly Democrats to force votes on exposing more about the Epstein case.
– Entangled in conspiracy theory –
Epstein was awaiting trial on trafficking charges when he was found hanged in his New York cell.
Authorities declared it a suicide but the death super-charged fears, especially on the far-right, that a “deep state” cover-up is in place to prevent the names of Epstein’s clients from being made known.
Trump’s attempts to stop Epstein speculation clash with the fact that his own supporters are the ones who have most pushed conspiracy theories — and believed that Trump would resolve the mysteries.
They were outraged when Trump’s FBI and Justice Department said on July 7 that the death was confirmed a suicide and that Epstein never blackmailed prominent figures or even had a client list.
Trump tried numerous measures to placate his base, including ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to try to obtain release of grand jury testimony in Epstein’s aborted New York case.
But the issue flamed up again last week when The Wall Street Journal reported that it had seen a birthday greeting penned in 2003 by Trump to Epstein on his 50th birthday.
The letter reportedly featured a hand-drawn naked woman, with Trump’s signature forming her pubic hair, and reference to their shared “wonderful secret.”
Trump insists he did not send the letter and has filed a lawsuit against the Journal.
Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing but was close friends with Epstein for years and was photographed attending parties with him.
Among the other celebrities with connections to Epstein was Britain’s Prince Andrew, who settled a US civil case in February 2022 brought by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed he sexually assaulted her when she was 17.
Giuffre committed suicide at her home in Australia in April.
Maxwell is the only former Epstein associate who has been convicted. She is appealing her sentence before the Supreme Court.
David Oscar Markus, Maxwell’s lawyer, confirmed on X that he was in discussions about her meeting with government representatives.
“We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case,” Markus added.
Explore Chelsea Clinton’s financial journey and net worth of $30 million in this article. Beyond being the daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Chelsea has forged her path as an author, consultant, and board member.
Her involvement with organizations like McKinsey & Company and IAC, coupled with her successful children’s book series, has contributed significantly to her wealth.
This article delves into Chelsea Clinton’s various sources of income, her philanthropic endeavors, and her impact on both the corporate and literary landscapes.
Chelsea Clinton Net Worth and Salary
Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State/Senator Hillary Clinton, has a net worth of $30 million, combined with her husband Marc Mezvinsky, a partner at TPG.
She earned her share through roles at McKinsey & Company and serving on corporate boards like the IAC.
Salary Highlights
A January 2020 SEC filing disclosed that Chelsea Clinton earned $9 million in compensation from IAC, where she served on the board with Barry Diller.
Previously, she earned a $250,000 annual base salary as a board member at Expedia. Additionally, she received $600,000 from NBC during 2013 and 2014.
Early Life and Education
Chelsea Victoria Clinton was born on February 27, 1980, in Little Rock, Arkansas, during her father Bill’s first term as governor.
Hillary recalled that they chose the name Chelsea after hearing Judy Collins’ recording of Joni Mitchell’s “Chelsea Morning” in 1960.
Academically gifted like her parents, Chelsea was reading by age three and skipped third grade.
In 1993, her father became the 42nd President of the United States, and the family moved to Washington, D.C.
Chelsea attended Sidwell Friends School, where she graduated in 1997 as a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist.
Her father delivered the graduation address, expressing fondness for the class. Sidwell Friends is known as the “Harvard of Washington, D.C.’s private schools,” also attended by Sasha and Malia Obama.
Chelsea pursued her undergraduate studies at Stanford University, graduating with the highest honors in history in 2001.
She later earned an MPhil degree in international relations from Oxford University in 2003 and completed her MPH degree at Columbia University’s School of Public Health in 2010.
She began teaching at Columbia University in 2012.
Real Estate
In 2008, Marc and Chelsea bought a three-bedroom, 1,922-square-foot condo in central Manhattan for $4 million.
The condo, located on the tenth floor, features an open chef’s kitchen and spacious living and dining rooms under ten-foot ceilings.
In 2013, Mezvinsky and Clinton sold this condo for $4.75 million and purchased a larger, 5,000-square-foot apartment worth $10.5 million.
The new apartment, just blocks away, spans the longest city block between 26th and 27th streets in Manhattan.
It boasts luxurious, ultra-modern design and “environmentally-conscious” features, offering stunning views of Madison Square Park.
Professional Career
After graduating from Stanford and Oxford, Clinton worked at McKinsey & Company and Avenue Capital Group.
She then co-chaired a fundraising week for the Clinton Foundation and became its vice chair. Clinton serves on the board of the School of American Ballet and on IAC’s board of directors.
NBC hired Chelsea as a special correspondent in late 2011, allowing her to continue her work with the Clinton Foundation and pursue her graduate degrees.
NBC renewed her contract in February 2012, which she left in late summer 2014.
Since 2011, Clinton has played a prominent role at the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, serving on its board, delivering paid speeches, and donating her earnings back to the foundation.
The Clinton Foundation focuses on improving global health, empowering women, and fostering economic growth.
Clinton is also an accomplished author of children’s books, including bestsellers like “She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World.”
She is currently working on an Olympic-themed addition to her “She Persisted” series, highlighting women in sports.
In 2020, Clinton announced plans to launch Metrodora Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on healthcare startups.
She aims to invest in innovative projects like Poppy Seed Health, a pregnancy support app.
Involvement in Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaigns
In December 2007, Chelsea Clinton began campaigning in Iowa to support her mother’s bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
She toured college campuses nationwide, speaking at 100 colleges over five months. Despite her efforts, Hillary Clinton lost the nomination to Barack Obama in the 2008 race.
Chelsea continued her active involvement in her mother’s 2016 presidential campaign, appearing at over 200 public events across the country.
In July 2016, she delivered a personal and emotional tribute to her mother at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, highlighting her upbringing and her mother’s dedication to issues and public service.
Personal Life
In 2010, Chelsea Clinton married investment banker Marc Mezvinsky.
The Clintons and Mezvinsky families were friends in the 1990s, and their children met at a Democratic political retreat in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
The couple got engaged over Thanksgiving weekend in 2009. After their honeymoon, they settled in New York City’s Gramercy Park neighborhood.
They married in an interfaith ceremony in Rhinebeck, New York, with the reception at Astor Courts, Kathleen Hammer’s estate, overlooking the Hudson River.
On April 17, 2014, Chelsea announced at a New York forum that she and Marc were expecting their first child.
Their daughter, Charlotte, was born on September 26, 2014. Chelsea and Marc’s son, Aidan, followed on June 18, 2016. Their third child, Jasper, was born on July 22, 2019.
Hillary Clinton’s multifaceted career spans politics, writing, and public speaking, contributing to her substantial net worth of $120 million.
Beyond her roles as former First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State, Clinton earns from speaking engagements and book sales.
Her achievements include Grammy Awards, induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and various honorary doctorates.
This article explores Clinton’s financial success, her diverse income streams, her personal life, and the accolades that highlight her influence in American society.
What is Hillary Clinton’s net worth?
Hillary Clinton is an American politician, author, and media personality. She has a net worth of $120 million, combined with her husband, Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States.
Hillary served as First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. She was a U.S. Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009 and the Secretary of State under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013.
In 2016, Hillary was the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, becoming the first woman to win a major U.S. political party’s presidential nomination.
She won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College vote, losing the election to Donald Trump.
Career Highlights
Hillary Clinton has had a distinguished career with several notable highlights:
First Lady of the United States (1993–2001): As First Lady, she advocated for healthcare reform and women’s rights.
U.S. Senator from New York (2001–2009): She became the first female senator from New York and focused on health and security issues.
67th U.S. Secretary of State (2009–2013): As Secretary of State, she concentrated on international diplomacy, responded to the Arab Spring, and was involved in the operation that led to Osama bin Laden’s death.
2016 Democratic Presidential Nominee: Clinton was the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. political party. She won the popular vote in the 2016 election.
Author and Speaker: She wrote several books, including “Hard Choices” and “What Happened,” sharing her public service experiences and political views.
Throughout her career, Clinton has been a trailblazer for women in politics and remains a significant figure in American public life.
Hillary Clinton’s Sources of Income
Hillary Clinton’s income comes from various sources, including:
Speaking Engagements: Both Hillary and Bill Clinton earn significant income from paid speaking engagements worldwide.
Book Deals: Hillary is a successful author with several books, such as “It Takes A Village,” “Living History,” “Hard Choices,” and “What Happened,” which have been lucrative.
Consultation: Her expertise in politics and international relations makes her a sought-after consultant.
Investments: The Clintons have made smart investments that contribute to their wealth.
Legal Career: Before her political career, Hillary was a partner at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Secretary of State Salary
As Secretary of State, Hillary earned $186,000 per year. She was the fourth highest-paid government official in the United States.
Only the President ($400,000), the Vice President ($225,551), and the Secretary of the Treasury ($191,300) earned more than her.
Notable Salaries
Clinton often speaks at Wall Street firms or business conventions, earning between $200,000 and $225,000 per engagement.
In a 15-month period ending in March 2015, she earned over $11 million from her speeches alone.
From 2007 to 2014, the Clintons earned nearly $141 million together.
During this time, they paid about $56 million in federal and state taxes and donated approximately $15 million to charity.
Biography
Hillary Clinton, born Hillary Diane Rodham on October 26, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois, is the oldest of three siblings.
During high school, she joined the student council and school newspaper and earned selection into the National Honor Society.
She became class vice president in her junior year and was voted “most likely to succeed” in her senior year. Clinton graduated in the top 5% of her class in 1965.
Clinton then majored in political science at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She graduated with departmental honors in 1969 and entered Yale Law School.
At Yale, she was on the editorial board of the “Yale Review of Law and Social Action.” She earned her law degree in 1973.
Personal Life
Hillary began dating fellow law student Bill Clinton in the spring of 1971. Shortly after she graduated from Yale Law School in 1973, Bill proposed.
Hillary declined at first but agreed to marry him after they bought a house together in Fayetteville, Arkansas, two years later.
Today, this home is the Clinton House Museum.
The couple got married in their living room on October 11, 1975, during a Methodist ceremony. Hillary has been a member of the United Methodist Church her entire life.
Hillary gave birth to their only child, Chelsea Victoria Clinton, on February 27, 1980. She is now a grandmother to Chelsea’s three children.
In 2016, the Clintons bought a home in Chappaqua, New York, for $1.6 million.
Hillary Clinton’s Net Worth, Awards and Accolades
Throughout her career, Hillary Clinton has earned numerous awards and accolades. Here are some notable ones:
Grammy Awards: She won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for “It Takes a Village” in 1997 and was nominated for “Living History” in 2004.
National Women’s Hall of Fame: She was inducted in 2005 for her contributions to American society.
Arkansas Woman of the Year: Named by the Arkansas Democrat in 1983.
Honorary Doctorates: Received from various institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania in 1993.
Public Citizens of the Year: Along with Bill Clinton, named by the Arkansas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers around 1983 or 1984.
Most Influential Lawyers in America: Listed by the National Law Journal in 1988 and 1991.
Former US President Bill Clinton was discharged from a California hospital on Sunday after being treated for an infection, his spokesman said.
Angel Urena said that after being admitted to the University of California Irvine Medical Center, Clinton’s fever and white blood cell count were normalized and that he would return home to New York to finish his course of antibiotics.
Bill Clinton was released from a California hospital on Sunday after treatment for a urological infection that developed into sepsis, officials said. Sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection, is a common cause of death in hospitals. https://t.co/lElRhEQ8WJpic.twitter.com/eCMQpY52gY
“President Clinton was discharged from UC Irvine Medical Center today,” said Dr. Alpesh N. Amin of the University of California Irvine Health Department of Medicine, who had been overseeing Clinton’s medical team.
“On behalf of everyone at UC Irvine Medical Center, we were honored to have treated him and will continue to monitor his progress.”
According to media reports, Clinton had been admitted to the hospital on Tuesday for a urinary tract infection that spread to his bloodstream.
Clinton, 75, is a former Arkansas governor who served as US president from 1993 to 2001. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and presided over the US’ longest peacetime economic expansion.
His wife former first lady Hillary Clinton, 73, served as senator for New York and secretary of state under President Barack Obama and was also the Democratic candidate for president in 2016.
President Obama delivering his speech at the Democratic Convention 2016 in Philadelphia
OBAMA: Thank you!
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you!
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
Thank you so much! Thank you everybody.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you. Thank you.
OBAMA: Thank you so much, everybody. Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you, everybody.
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
Thank you so much, everybody!
(APPLAUSE)
I love you back!
(APPLAUSE)
Hello, America! Hello, Democrats!
So 12 years ago tonight I addressed this convention for the very first time.
(APPLAUSE)
You met my two little girls, Malia and Sasha, now two amazing young women who just fill me with pride.
(APPLAUSE)
You fell for my brilliant wife and partner, Michelle…
(APPLAUSE)
…who has made me a better father and a better man, who has gone on to inspire our nation as first lady and who somehow hasn’t aged a day.
(LAUGHTER)
I know, the same cannot be said for me. My girls remind me all the time. Wow, you’ve changed so much, daddy.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: And then they try to clean it up. Not bad, just more mature.
And it’s true, I was so young that first time in Boston.
(APPLAUSE)
And look, I’ll admit it, maybe I was a little nervous addressing such a big crowd. But I was filled with faith; faith in America, the generous, bighearted, hopeful country that made my story, that made all of our stories possible.
A lot’s happened over the years. And while this nation has been tested by war and it’s been tested by recession and all manner of challenges, I stand before you again tonight, after almost two terms as your president, to tell you I am even more optimistic about the future of America than ever before.
(APPLAUSE)
How could I not be, after all that we’ve achieved together?
After the worst recession in 80 years, we’ve fought our way back. We’ve seen deficits come down, 401(k)s recover, an auto industry set new records, unemployment reach eight-year lows, and our businesses create 15 million new jobs.
(APPLAUSE)
After a century of trying, we declared that health care in America is not a privilege for a few, it is a right for everybody.
(APPLAUSE)
After decades of talk, we finally began to wean ourselves off foreign oil, we doubled our production of clean energy.
(APPLAUSE)
We brought more of our troops home to their families, and we delivered justice to Osama bin Laden.
(APPLAUSE) Through diplomacy, we shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons program, we opened up a new chapter with the people of Cuba, brought nearly 200 nations together around a climate agreement that could save this planet for our children.
(APPLAUSE)
We put policies in place to help students with loans, protect consumers from fraud, cut veteran homelessness almost in half. And through countless acts of quiet courage, America learned that love has no limits, and marriage equality is now a reality across the land.
(APPLAUSE)
By so many measures, our country is stronger and more prosperous than it was when we started. And through every victory and every setback, I’ve insisted that change is never easy, and never quick; that we wouldn’t meet all of our challenges in one term, or one presidency, or even in one lifetime.
So tonight, I’m here to tell you that yes, we’ve still got more work to do. More work to do for every American still in need of a good job or a raise, paid leave or a decent retirement; for every child who needs a sturdier ladder out of poverty or a world-class education; for everyone who has not yet felt the progress of these past seven-and-a-half years. We need to keep making our streets safer and our criminal justice system fairer; our homeland more secure, and our world more peaceful and sustainable for the next generation.
(APPLAUSE)
We’re not done perfecting our union, or living up to our founding creed that all of us are created equal, all of us are free in the eyes of God.
(APPLAUSE)
And that work involves a big choice this November. I think it’s fair to say, this is not your typical election. It’s not just a choice between parties or policies, the usual debates between left and right. This is a more fundamental choice about who we are as a people, and whether we stay true to this great American experiment in self-government.
Look, we Democrats have always had plenty of differences with the Republican Party, and there’s nothing wrong with that. it’s precisely this contest of ideas that pushes our country forward.
(APPLAUSE)
But what we heard in Cleveland last week wasn’t particularly Republican and it sure wasn’t conservative. What we heard was a deeply pessimistic vision of a country where we turn against each other and turn away from the rest of the world. There were no serious solutions to pressing problems, just the fanning of resentment and blame and anger and hate. And that is not the America I know.
(APPLAUSE)
The America I know is full of courage and optimism and ingenuity. The America I know is decent and generous. Sure, we have real anxieties about paying the bills and protecting our kids, caring for a sick parent. We get frustrated with political gridlock and worry about racial divisions. We are shocked and saddened by the madness of Orlando or Nice. There are pockets of America that never recovered from factory closures, men who took pride in hard work and providing for their families who now feel forgotten, parents who wonder whether their kids will have the same opportunities we had.
All of that is real. We’re challenged to do better, to be better. But as I’ve traveled this country, through all 50 states, as I’ve rejoiced with you and mourned with you, what I have also seen, more than anything, is what is right with America.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: I see people working hard and starting businesses. I see people teaching kids and serving our country. I see engineers inventing stuff, doctors coming up with new cures. I see a younger generation full of energy and new ideas, not constrained by what is, ready to seize what ought to be.
(APPLAUSE)
And most of all, I see Americans of every party, every background, every faith who believe that we are stronger together, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, young, old, gay, straight, men, women, folks with disabilities, all pledging allegiance, under the same proud flag, to this big, bold country that we love.
(APPLAUSE)
That’s what I see! That’s the America that I know!
And there is only one candidate in this race who believes in that future, has devoted her life to it; a mother and grandmother who would do anything to help our children thrive, a leader with real plans to break down barriers and blast through glass ceilings and widen the circle of opportunity to every single American, the next president of the United States, Hillary Clinton.
(APPLAUSE)
AUDIENCE: Hillary! Hillary! Hillary!
OBAMA: That’s right. That’s right.
Let me tell you, eight years ago, you may remember Hillary and I were rivals for the Democratic nomination. We battled for a year-and- a-half. Let me tell you, it was tough because Hillary was tough. I was worn out.
(LAUGHTER)
She was doing everything I was doing, but just like Ginger Rogers it was backwards in heels.
(APPLAUSE)
And every time I thought I might have that race won, Hillary just came back stronger.
But after it was all over, I asked Hillary to join my team.
(APPLAUSE)
And she was a little surprised, some of my staff were surprised.
(LAUGHTER)
But ultimately said yes because she knew that what was at stake was bigger than either of us.
(APPLAUSE)
And for four years, for four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment and her discipline. I came to realize that her unbelievable work ethic wasn’t for praise, it wasn’t for attention, that she was in this for everyone who needs a champion.
(APPLAUSE)
I understood that after all these years, she has never forgotten just who she’s fighting for.
Hillary’s still got the tenacity that she had as a young woman working at the Children’s Defense Fund, going door to door to ultimately make sure kids with disabilities could get a quality education.
(APPLAUSE)
She’s still got the heart she showed as our first lady, working with Congress to help push through a Children’s Health Insurance Program that to this day protects millions of kids.
(APPLAUSE)
She’s still seared with the memory of every American she met who lost loved ones on 9/11, which is why, as a senator from New York, she fought so hard for funding to help first responders, to help the city rebuild; why, as secretary of state, she sat with me in the Situation Room and forcefully argued in favor of the mission that took out bin Laden.
(APPLAUSE)
You know, nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office. You can read about it, you can study it. But until you’ve sat at that desk, you don’t know what it’s like to manage a global crisis or send young people to war. But Hillary’s been in the room, she’s been part of those decisions.
She knows what’s at stake in the decisions our government makes, what’s at stake for the working family, for the senior citizen, for the small-business owner, for the soldier, for the veteran. And even in the midst of crisis, she listens to people and she keeps her cool and she treats everybody with respect. And no matter how daunting the odds, no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits.
(APPLAUSE)
That’s the Hillary I know. That’s the Hillary I’ve come to admire. And that’s why I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman, not me, not Bill, nobody more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
I hope you don’t mind, Bill, but I was just telling the truth, man.
And by the way, in case you were wondering about her judgment, take a look at her choice of running mate. Tim Kaine is as good a man, as humble and as committed a public servant as anybody that I know. I know his family. I love Anne, I love their kids. He will be a great vice president, he will make Hillary a better president, just like my dear friend and brother Joe Biden has made me a better president.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, Hillary has real plans to address the concerns she’s heard from you on the campaign trail. She’s got specific ideas to invest in new jobs, to help workers share in their company’s profits, to help put kids in preschool, and put students through college without taking on a ton of debt. That’s what leaders do.
And then there’s Donald Trump.
(AUDIENCE JEERS)
Don’t boo; vote!
(APPLAUSE)
You know, the Donald is not really a plans guy. He’s not really a facts guy, either.
(LAUGHTER)
He calls himself a business guy, which is true, but I have to say, I know plenty of businessmen and women who’ve achieved remarkable success without leaving a trail of lawsuits and unpaid workers and people feeling like they got cheated.
(APPLAUSE)
Does anyone really believe that a guy who’s spent his 70 years on this Earth showing no regard for working people is suddenly going to be your champion? Your voice? Hey, if so, you should vote for him.
But if you’re someone who’s truly concerned about paying your bills, if you’re really concerned about pocketbook issues and seeing the economy grow and creating more opportunity for everybody, then the choice isn’t even close. If you want someone with a lifelong track record of fighting for higher wages and better benefits and a fairer tax code and a bigger voice for workers and stronger regulations on Wall Street, then you should vote for Hillary Clinton.
(APPLAUSE)
And if you’re rightly concerned about who’s going to keep you and your family safe in a dangerous world, well, the choice is even clearer. Hillary Clinton is respected around the world, not just by leaders, but by the people they serve.
I have to say this. People outside of the United States do not understand what’s going on in this election, they really don’t.
(APPLAUSE)
Because they know Hillary, they’ve seen her work. She’s worked closely with our intelligence teams, our diplomats, our military. And she has the judgment and the experience and the temperament to meet the threat from terrorism. It’s not new to her. Our troops have pounded ISIL without mercy, taking out their leaders, taking back territory. And I know Hillary won’t relent until ISIL is destroyed.
She will finish the job and she’ll do it without resorting to torture or banning entire religions from entering our country. She is fit and she is ready to be the next commander in chief.
(APPLAUSE)
Meanwhile, Donald Trump calls our military a disaster. Apparently, he doesn’t know the men and women who make up the strongest fighting force the world has ever known.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: He suggests America is weak. He must not hear the billions of men and women and children, from the Baltics to Burma, who still look to America to be the light of freedom and dignity and human rights. He cozies up to Putin, praises Saddam Hussein, tells our NATO allies that stood by our side after 9/11 that they have to pay up if they want our protection.
Well, America’s promises do not come with a price tag. We meet our commitments. We bear our burdens. That’s one of the reasons why almost every country on Earth sees America as stronger and more respected today than they did eight years ago when I took office.
(APPLAUSE)
America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you, our strength, our greatness does not depend on Donald Trump.
(LAUGHTER)
In fact, it doesn’t depend on any one person. And that, in the end, may be the biggest difference in this election, the meaning of our democracy.
Ronald Reagan called America “a shining city on a hill.” Donald Trump calls it “a divided crime scene” that only he can fix. It doesn’t matter to him that illegal immigration and the crime rate are as low as they’ve been in decades, because he’s not actually offering any real solutions to those issues. He’s just offering slogans, and he’s offering fear. He’s betting that if he scares enough people, he might score just enough votes to win this election.
(AUDIENCE JEERS)
And that’s another bet that Donald Trump will lose. And the reason he’ll lose it is because he’s selling the American people short. We are not a fragile people, we’re not a frightful people. Our power doesn’t come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order as long as we do things his way. We don’t look to be ruled.
(APPLAUSE)
Our power comes from those immortal declarations first put to paper right here in Philadelphia all those years ago. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that we the people can form a more perfect union. That’s who we are. That’s our birthright, the capacity to shape our own destiny.
(APPLAUSE)
That’s what drove patriots to choose revolution over tyranny and our GIs to liberate a continent. It’s what gave women the courage to reach for the ballot and marchers to cross a bridge in Selma and workers to organize and fight for collective bargaining and better wages.
(APPLAUSE)
America has never been about what one person says he’ll do for us. It’s about what can be achieved by us, together, through the hard and slow and sometimes frustrating, but ultimately enduring work of self-government.
And that’s what Hillary Clinton understands. She knows that this is a big, diverse country, she has seen it, she’s traveled, she’s talked to folks and she understands that most issues are rarely black and white. She understands that even when you’re 100 percent right, getting things done requires compromise. That democracy doesn’t work if we constantly demonize each other.
(APPLAUSE)
She knows that for progress to happen, we have to listen to each other and see ourselves in each other, and fight for our principles, but also fight to find common ground, no matter how elusive that may sometimes seem.
(APPLAUSE)
Hillary knows we can work through racial divides in this country when we realize the worry black parents feel when their son leaves the house isn’t so different than what a brave cop’s family feels when he puts on the blue and goes to work, that we can honor police and treat every community fairly. We can do that.
(APPLAUSE)
And she knows that acknowledging problems that have festered for decades isn’t making race relations worse, it’s creating the possibility for people of good will to join and make things better.
(APPLAUSE)
Hillary knows we can insist on a lawful and orderly immigration system while still seeing striving students and their toiling parents as loving families, not criminals or rapists, families that came here for the same reasons our forebears came, to work and to study and to make a better life, in a place where we can talk and worship and love as we please. She knows their dream is quintessentially American, and the American dream is something no wall will ever contain. (APPLAUSE)
These are the things that Hillary knows. It can be frustrating, this business of democracy. Trust me, I know. Hillary knows, too. When the other side refuses to compromise, progress can stall. People are hurt by the inaction. Supporters can grow impatient and worry that you’re not trying hard enough, that you’ve maybe sold out.
But I promise you, when we keep at it, when we change enough minds, when we deliver enough votes, then progress does happen. And if you doubt that, just ask the 20 million more people who have health care today. Just ask the Marine who proudly serves his country without hiding the husband that he loves.
(APPLAUSE)
Democracy works, America, but we gotta want it, not just during an election year, but all the days in between.
(APPLAUSE)
So if you agree that there’s too much inequality in our economy, and too much money in our politics, we all need to be as vocal and as organized and as persistent as Bernie Sanders’ supporters have been during this election.
(APPLAUSE)
We all need to get out and vote for Democrats up and down the ticket, and then hold them accountable until they get the job done.
That’s right, feel the Bern!
If you want more justice in the justice system, then we’ve all got to vote, not just for a president, but for mayors and sheriffs and state’s attorneys and state legislators. That’s where the criminal law is made. And we’ve got to work with police and protesters until laws and practices are changed. That’s how democracy works.
If you want to fight climate change, we’ve got to engage not only young people on college campuses, we’ve got to reach out to the coal miner who’s worried about taking care of his family, the single mom worried about gas prices.
(APPLAUSE)
If you want to protect our kids and our cops from gun violence, we’ve got to get the vast majority of Americans, including gun owners, who agree on things like background checks to be just as vocal and determined as the gun lobby that blocks change through every funeral that we hold. That’s how change happens.
(APPLAUSE)
Look, Hillary’s got her share of critics. She has been caricatured by the right and by some on the left. She has been accused of everything you can imagine and some things that you cannot.
(LAUGHTER)
But she knows that’s what happens when you’re under a microscope for 40 years.
(APPLAUSE)
She knows that sometimes during those 40 years she’s made mistakes, just like I have, just like we all do. That’s what happens when we try. That’s what happens when you’re the kind of citizen Teddy Roosevelt once described, not the timid souls who criticize from the sidelines, but someone “who is actually in the arena, who strives valiantly, who errs, but who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement.”
(APPLAUSE)
Hillary Clinton is that woman in the arena. She’s been there for us, even if we haven’t always noticed.
And if you’re serious about our democracy, you can’t afford to stay home just because she might not align with you on every issue. You’ve got to get in the arena with her, because democracy isn’t a spectator sport. America isn’t about “yes he will.” It’s about “yes we can.” And we’re going to carry Hillary to victory this fall, because that’s what the moment demands.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Yes, we can! Not yes, she can; not yes, I can; yes, we can!
You know, there’s been a lot of talk in this campaign about what America’s lost, people who tell us that our way of life is being undermined by pernicious changes and dark forces beyond our control. They tell voters there’s a “real America” out there that must be restored.
This isn’t an idea, by the way, that started with Donald Trump. It’s been peddled by politicians for a long time, probably from the start of our republic. And it’s got me thinking about the story I told you 12 years ago tonight about my Kansas grandparents and the things they taught me when I was growing up.
(APPLAUSE)
See, my grandparents, they came from the heartland. Their ancestors began settling there about 200 years ago. I don’t know if they had their birth certificates, but they were there.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
They were Scotch-Irish mostly, farmers, teachers, ranch hands, pharmacists, oil rig workers. Hardy, small-town folks. Some were Democrats, but a lot of them, maybe even most of them were Republicans, the party of Lincoln. And my grandparents explained that folks in these parts, they didn’t like show-offs, they didn’t admire braggarts or bullies.
They didn’t respect mean-spiritedness or folks who were always looking for shortcuts in life. Instead, they valued traits like honesty and hard work, kindness, courtesy, humility, responsibility; helping each other out. That’s what they believed in. True things, things that last, the things we try to teach our kids.
And what my grandparents understood was that these values weren’t limited to Kansas. They weren’t limited to small towns. These values could travel to Hawaii.
(APPLAUSE) They could travel even the other side of the world, where my mother would end up working to help poor women get a better life trying to apply those values. My grandparents knew these values weren’t reserved for one race; they could be passed down to a half- Kenyan grandson, or a half-Asian granddaughter; in fact, they were the same values Michelle’s parents, the descendants of slaves, taught their own kids living in a bungalow on the south side of Chicago.
(APPLAUSE)
They knew these values were exactly what drew immigrants here, and they believed that the children of those immigrants were just as American as their own, whether they wore a cowboy hat or a yarmulke, a baseball cap or a hijab.
(APPLAUSE)
America has changed over the years. But these values that my grandparents taught me, they haven’t gone anywhere. They’re as strong as ever; still cherished by people of every party, every race, every faith. They live on in each of us. What makes us American, what makes us patriots is what’s in here. That’s what matters.
(APPLAUSE)
And that’s why we can take the food and music and holidays and styles of other countries and blend it into something uniquely our own. That’s why we can attract strivers and entrepreneurs from around the globe to build new factories and create new industries here. That’s why our military can look the way it does, every shade of humanity, forged into common service. That’s why anyone who threatens our values, whether fascists or communists or jihadists or homegrown demagogues, will always fail in the end.
(APPLAUSE)
That is America. That is America. Those bonds of affection, that common creed. We don’t fear the future; we shape it, embrace it, as one people, stronger together than we are on our own.
That’s what Hillary Clinton understands. This fighter, this stateswoman, this mother and grandmother, this public servant, this patriot, that’s the America she’s fighting for.
(APPLAUSE)
And that is why I have confidence, as I leave this stage tonight, that the Democratic Party is in good hands. My time in this office, it hasn’t fixed everything. As much as we’ve done, there’s still so much I want to do. But for all the tough lessons I’ve had to learn, for all the places I’ve fallen short, I’ve told Hillary, and I’ll tell you what’s picked me back up, every single time: It’s been you, the American people.
(APPLAUSE) It’s the letter I keep on my wall from a survivor in Ohio who twice almost lost everything to cancer, but urged me to keep fighting for health care reform, even when the battle seemed lost. Do not quit.
It’s the painting I keep in my private office, a big-eyed, green owl with blue wings, made by a 7-year-old girl who was taken from us in Newtown, given to me by her parents so I wouldn’t forget, a reminder of all the parents who have turned their grief into action.
(APPLAUSE)
It’s the small-business owner in Colorado who cut most of his own salary so he wouldn’t have to lay off any of his workers in the recession because, he said, that wouldn’t have been in the spirit of America.
(APPLAUSE)
It’s the conservative in Texas who said he disagreed with me on everything, but appreciated that, like him, I try to be a good dad.
(APPLAUSE)
It’s the courage of the young soldier from Arizona who nearly died on the battlefield in Afghanistan, but who has learned to speak again and walk again, and earlier this year, stepped through the door of the Oval Office on his own power, to salute and shake my hand.
(APPLAUSE)
It is every American who believed we could change this country for the better, so many of you who’d never been involved in politics, who picked up phones and hit the streets and used the internet in amazing new ways that I didn’t really understand, but made change happen. You are the best organizers on the planet, and I am so proud of all the change that you made possible.
(APPLAUSE)
Time and again, you’ve picked me up. And I hope sometimes I’ve picked you up, too.
(APPLAUSE)
And tonight, I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me.
(APPLAUSE)
I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me. Because you’re who I was talking about 12 years ago, when I talked about hope. It’s been you who’ve fueled my dogged faith in our future, even when the odds were great, even when the road is long. Hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty, the audacity of hope!
America, you have vindicated that hope these past eight years.
5-Minute Fix newsletter
Keeping up with politics is easy now.
Sign up
(APPLAUSE)
And now I’m ready to pass the baton and do my part as a private citizen. So this year, in this election, I’m asking you to join me, to reject cynicism and reject fear and to summon what is best in us; to elect Hillary Clinton as the next president of the United States and show the world we still believe in the promise of this great nation.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you for this incredible journey. Let’s keep it going. God bless you. God bless the United States of America.
