On Thursday, a New York jury convicted former President Donald Trump on all 34 felony counts related to hush money payments made to cover up alleged affairs. It was a historic moment – the first time a former U.S. president had been criminally convicted. While Trump has yet to face consequences for his role in the January 6th insurrection or his mishandling of classified documents, this verdict represented a significant legal blow. Hillary Clinton , Trump’s rival in the contentious 2016 election, had a brilliant reaction.
Taking the stage at the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards in Washington D.C., she simply said, “Thank you so much…Anything going on today?” as the crowd erupted in cheers and applause. Clinton paused, smiling, for over a few seconds to let the moment sink in before continuing her speech. Clinton added, “Well, I have to tell you, there’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here.” She didn’t mention Trump by name, but her meaning was crystal clear. The subtext was hard to miss. As Trump’s opponent in 2016, Clinton was constantly attacked and maligned by him and his supporters.
View this post on Instagram
Trump’s rallies featured chants of “Lock her up!” over Clinton’s use of a private email server, as per HuffPost . He even threatened to jail her if elected. Now, it was Trump facing potential imprisonment over charges related to that very same election. The delicious irony was not lost on Clinton or her fans. Rather than gloat openly, Clinton let her subtle performance speak volumes. For years, Clinton warned about the dangers Trump posed to American democracy .
Hillary Clinton on Trump in 2016: When he lost the Iowa caucuses, he said the Republican primary was rigged. When his fake university was sued for fraud, he said the courts were rigged. When he didn’t get an Emmy for The Apprentice, he claimed the Emmys were rigged. pic.twitter.com/0mNtyqne9I
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 31, 2024
Clinton didn’t stop there though. Later that day, she promoted new merchandise for her Onward Together PAC – a coffee mug stating “Turns out she was right about everything.” She also added the design “We recently had some new merch made based on a phrase I hear a lot. The design happened to be finalized today,” in an Instagram post . It captured the culmination of years of Clinton’s critiques about Trump being validated, as per USA Today . From the email scandal to questioning his legitimacy as president, she’s been proved correct time and again as investigations and criminal cases mounted against him.
Though out of office, Clinton proved she’s still a pivotal voice – undermining Trump’s ludicrous nickname for her as “Crooked Hillary” with her effortless dignity and class. The mug was the perfect way to capitalize on and celebrate the moment in an on-brand way for the beloved former First Lady. Clinton has built a lucrative career selling tongue-in-cheek memorabilia rebuking her critics like caps emblazoned with “But her emails” after news Trump flushed records down White House toilets, as per The Hill . Her supporters gladly pay for such merch while donating to her causes.