Hillary Clinton, again wearing a long coat and bulky scarf in hot weather, has lectured a crowd that there is ‘a crisis in our democracy’ as Harvard University awarded her a medal.
Clinton spoke on Friday in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she accepted Harvard’s Radcliffe Medal for her leadership, human rights work and ‘transformative impact on society’.
The former Democratic presidential candidate, secretary of state, US senator and first lady said that American democracy is in crisis because of threats to the rule of law, the free press and free elections that are ‘undermining national unity.’
She did not mention President Donald Trump by name as she called on audience members to do their part by voting and calling out fake news when they see it.
Although the temperature in Cambridge was in the upper 80s, Clinton again appeared in a long coat in scarf – in fact, it was the same combination she was wearing when she was photographed in New York City earlier this month with a bulge that some speculated is a back brace.
Hillary Clinton points to the audience as she is introduced at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Friday to accept the 2018 Radcliffe Medal
Clinton spoke on Friday in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she accepted Harvard’s Radcliffe Medal for her leadership human rights work and ‘transformative impact on society’
Clinton has not appeared in public without a scarf since April 13.
In her remarks on Friday, Clinton defended herself for discussing the 2016 election yet again, something that has drawn criticism from both her enemies as Democrat allies.
‘I still think that understanding what happened in that weird and wild election will help us defend our democracy,’ she said.
‘Right now we are living through a crisis in our democracy,’ she said. ‘There are certainly not tanks in the street but what is happening today goes to the heart of who we are as a nation,’ Clinton said.
‘I say this not as a Democrat who lost an election, but an American afraid of losing a country.’
Clinton said that responsibility for the polarization did not fall equally on the left and right, blaming her political opponents for ‘inciting’ hatred.
‘Attempting to erase the line between fact and fiction, truth and reality is a core feature of authoritarianism,’ she said.
Hillary Clinton pumps her fist as she is introduced at Harvard University in Cambridge
Clinton smiles as she shakes hands with guests while walking through Radcliffe Yard. Although it was in the upper 80s, she again appeared in a long coat and scarf combination
Clinton was photographed in the same coat and scarf combination on May 5, with an unusual bulge that some speculated is a back brace. She has worn similar outfits in public ever since
Clinton also targeted conservative TV news outlets Fox News and Sinclair for scorn.
‘They are essentially delivering propaganda…. We need more outlets for reliable information,’ Clinton said in her acceptance speech.
She also participated in a wide-ranging conversation with Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey that touched on negotiations with North Korea, inspiring a new generation of public servants and the current wave of student activism surrounding gun violence.
During the conversation, Clinton said that if she could be the CEO of any company, she’d pick Facebook.
‘It’s the biggest news platform in the world,’ Clinton said. ‘Most people in our country get their news, true or not, from Facebook.’