Many unanswered questions remain about the 2016 U.S. President Election in which Donald Trump upset Hillary Clinton. The election was controversial and divisive on social media, where true and false political gossip was widely spread.
One of the countless election memes that were circulated online gave the impression that three years earlier Hillary Clinton made a statement to bankers the nation needed a business leader such as Trump as president.
What Did Hillary Supposedly Say About Trump?
In October 2016 an infographic spread on social media that Hillary Clinton said the following in 2013: “I would like to see people like Donald Trump run for office; they’re honest and can’t be bought.” Accompanying the quote was a photo of Donald standing next to Hillary, which was taken at the future president’s wedding to Melania in 2005.
Trump and Clinton Relationship
It should come as no surprise that either the Trump or Clinton families would say something nice about the other, as the two families became friends during Bill Clinton’s White House years. Trump praised and defended President Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He also had positive things to say about Hillary in interviews when she ran for president the first time in 2008.
Even after the extremely negative 2016 campaign from both parties, Trump still spoke highly of the Clintons when they attended his inaugural luncheon in 2017, saying he had great respect for them. Ivanka Trump and Chelsea Clinton particularly have had a close friendship over the years. Photos also show Donald Trump at a golf course with Bill Clinton.
So it’s not hard to believe that it would be very possible for Hillary to praise family friend Donald Trump three years before anyone knew what to expect about Obama’s successor.
What Fact-Checkers Say
The meme was debunked by fact-check sites and several major news sources that identified the origin of the fake quote as a discontinued Israel-based website. The website’s “About Us” page clarified the site mixed news with satire. Interestingly, several other satire sites were taken as fact during the election, leading to what could be argued as the biggest spread of political misinformation in the history of propaganda.
Both Factcheck.org and Politifact rate the quote as false – meaning it wasn’t a real quote by Hillary, as it apparently was meant as satirical humor. It’s no more true than saying Donald Trump made Mike Pence wear a training collar throughout his Presidency.
The closest thing Hillary said to the fake quote during her actual speech was “You know, I would like to see more successful business people run for office.” She went on to say “you don’t have to have 30 billion, but you have a certain level of freedom.” She never mentioned Trump at all in the entire speech.
The website claimed Hillary made a positive comment about Trump on October 29, 2013, at Goldman Sachs. Even though she actually did speak to the investment firm on that date, the transcript revealed the quote in question was nowhere to be found. The transcript of that speech was posted online by WikiLeaks.
Conclusion
As much as some people want to believe Hillary promoted Donald Trump for President in a 2013 speech, the quote was fabricated by a hybrid news/satire website. It’s one of many examples of how satire or another form of entertainment can be confused as truth for some people.
Sharon took a course in political science. She is very active on debates and forums in which discusses issues and its solutions.