Politics
Rise in Anti-Immigrant Feeling Due to Trump’s Rhetoric: Hillary in India
Hillary Clinton
Photo: Bigstock
India holds prominence on the global map, and a special place in the hearts of the Clinton family, Hillary Clinton said during her visit to the country.
Praising India for its leadership in the issue over the Paris Climate Change Agreement, Hillary Clinton thanked New Delhi for its commitment to bring other countries to recognize the threat posed by climate change. Clinton, the 2016 Democratic Party presidential candidate and former Secretary of State of the United States, is in India on a four-day visit.
Clinton criticized U.S. President Donald Trump, saying, “Anti-immigrant feeling became virulent because of Trump’s rhetoric.” She said that while she ran a serious political campaign, the other side ran a reality TV show, and added that he did not deserve to be the president. “He ran a TV reality campaign. It means a person who is most outrageous and says incorrect things, but gets away with it,” she said.
“Russian interference in the American elections was unprecedented and more than alarming. It represents clear danger to democracy everywhere. It was not just intended to damage me and my electoral prospects. They were intended to fan flames of division in our society,” she said, adding that there is distrust and divisiveness in the United States about the press, judiciary, Congress, and politics, which constitute foundations of a democracy.
“In USA, people are mounting massive resistance to protect democratic institutions. People are coming together and standing up for democracy,” she said, stressing that more such people are needed.
The former First Lady of the United States added that she wouldn’t be contesting more presidential elections and did not think that America would vote for Trump in 2016. She said that Trump likes dictators and there is a one-party rule ongoing in Washington with no space for dissenting voices.
She further added that India holds prominence on the global map, and a special place in the hearts of the Clinton family.
During a discussion at the India Today Conclave 2018 in Mumbai on March 10, Clinton also condemned Trump for withdrawing from the climate change agreement, calling it shameful that America is the only country that is not in the Paris deal now. She added that India created awareness among other countries about the fallout of climate change.
Trump had said that the climate deal was horrible for the United States and benefited developing countries like India and China. The deal was unfair to the United States, Trump said during his address to the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) on Feb. 23. The deal has been signed by almost 200 countries. Trump said it would have cost the United States economy, killed jobs and slowed down the oil, gas, coal and manufacturing industries.
The Paris agreement is within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and sets limits on countries for greenhouse gas emissions and carbon emissions.
At the event, Clinton wore Indian clothes designed by Payal Khandwala — a brown and silver kurta paired with matching brown pants.
On March 11, Clinton left on a three-day tour to Madhya Pradesh, where she will visit the erstwhile Holkar kingdom, take a boat ride on the Narmada river, watch Maheshwari sari weaving, and then head to Indore on March 13 before flying back to the United States.
