WELLESLEY, MASS. (WHDH) - 48 years after she delivered her famous graduation speech, Hillary Clinton returned to her alma mater on Friday, delivering a speech that was highly critical of the president.
Clinton took the stage at Wellesley College Friday morning to cheers and started out with some self-deprecating remarks.
“You may have heard that things didn’t exactly go the way that I planned,” Clinton said, “but you know what, I’m doing okay.”
Clinton joked about her “long walks in the woods” and added, “I won’t lie — chardonnay helped a little.”
Clinton spoke about her time at Wellesley and compared President Trump to President Nixon, who was in office when she was a student.
“We were furious about the past presidential election, about the man whose presidency would end in disgrace and his impeachment for obstruction of justice…after firing the person running the investigation into him,” she said.
Clinton also let loose on the president’s budget, blasting it as “a con.”
“It is an attack of unimaginable cruelty on the most vulnerable among us,” she said.
The speech resonated with the graduating Wellesley seniors.
Clinton urged students to make a difference in the world and register to vote or even run for public office themselves.
She said it’s worth it.
The speech marked a return engagement of sorts for Clinton. She delivered the student commencement address 48 years ago in 1969, the year she graduated from the all-women’s school.
Clinton also delivered the 1992 commencement speech.
The Republican National Committee released a statement following Clinton’s speech:
Today’s speech was a stark reminder why Hillary Clinton lost in 2016,” said RNC Chairwoman McDaniel. “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 Democrat Party supporters – we won’t hold our breath though.
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