Clinton disparages those considering alternatives to Biden: 'Do I want to throw my vote away?'
Hillary Clinton exasperated at voters conflicted between Trump and Biden: 'Why is that a hard choice?'
Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump 'old and dangerous' on MSNBC, fretting over liberal voters who are disillusioned with President Biden.
Hillary Clinton appeared exasperated Thursday over why voters were split between President Biden and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, asking how it could be a "hard choice."
"We have two old candidates. One is, yes, old and effective, has passed legislation, that I think is going to put America on such a strong footing for the future, is compassionate, cares about people, tries hard to make the right decision, and they are complicated," she told MSNBC. "The other is old and dangerous. I mean, why is that a hard choice for people?"
Clinton, who memorably wondered why she wasn't "50 points ahead" of Trump at one point during their 2016 campaign, was responding to host Willie Geist's question about voters feeling disillusioned and considering third-party options like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The race remains close, according to recent polling, which showed Trump leading Biden by just 2% in a general election match-up. With third-party candidates thrown in the mix in an ABC News-Ipsos poll, Trump garners 42% of support, and Biden gets 40%. Twelve percent of registered voters said they would go for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll.
Hillary Clinton joined the co-hosts of "Morning Joe" to discuss the state of the election on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (Screenshot/MSNBC)
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Clinton suggested during the interview that voters thinking about sitting out the 2024 presidential election, or voting for a third-party candidate would be throwing their votes away.
"Every one of us has an obligation as a citizen to try to figure out, waking up the morning after the election. Do I want to throw my vote away? Do I want to not vote and let somebody who doesn’t agree with me or care about me essentially fill that vacuum that I left?" she said.
The 2016 Democratic presidential nominee continued, "Or do I want to feel like, OK, maybe I’m not ecstatic about the outcome, but I’m safe. I’m not going to have to worry about what might happen to the economy because we have somebody who took us out of COVID, has tackled inflation, the best economy in the world right now."
Clinton warned the future of the country was at stake and suggested Trump would get rid of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Hillary Clinton urged voters to support President Biden and said it shouldn't be a "hard choice" for people considering the alternative is former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon / Curtis Means/DailyMail.com via AP, Pool)
She said later in the interview that there was only one choice for women in the U.S. who value freedom in the aftermath of Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade.
"Any woman who has any sense of self-respect, autonomy, agency, independence and values freedom, needs to understand there’s only one choice in this election, and that’s Joe Biden," she said.
Clinton has acknowledged age is a legitimate issue in the upcoming election, but has also argued the president should "lean into" his years of experience.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on Monday, April 1, 2024. (Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)
Clinton was asked by "Late Show" host Jimmy Fallon in April about what she'd say to voters "upset" by the choice between Trump and Biden.
"Get over yourself. Those are the two choices," she responded.
"One is old, and effective, and compassionate, has a heart and really cares about people. And one is old and has been charged with 91 felonies," Clinton said.
Hanna Panreck is an associate editor at Fox News.
