Clinton: ‘Party Of Lincoln’ Becoming ‘Party Of Trump’
Hillary Clinton blasted the Republican Party for becoming “divided” and turning into “the party of Trump.”
“[Trump] is the nominee of the party of Lincoln,” Clinton said at an Illinois rally on July 13, according to ABC. “We are watching it become a party of Trump. And that’s not just a huge loss for our democracy. It is a threat to it. Because Donald Trump’s campaign adds up to an ugly, dangerous message to America.”
Calling Trump’s campaign “as divisive as any we have seen in our lifetimes,” she derided the billionaire businessman for “stoking mistrust and pitting American against American” throughout the course of his campaign.
“I cannot stand here and claim that my words and actions haven’t sometimes fueled the partisanship that often stands in the way of progress,” she added. “So I recognize I have to do better too.”
The former secretary of state alluded to President Abraham Lincoln’s famous words that “a house divided against itself cannot stand,” which he uttered in the Illinois Old State Capitol – the very same location of Clinton’s speech.
Clinton mentioned the iconic Republican president several times, saying that his outspokenness against slavery in a time when it was a controversial issue “still [holds] resonance for us now.”
“The challenges we face today do not approach those of Lincoln’s time — not even close,” she added. “And we should be very clear about that. But recent events have left people across America asking hard questions about whether we are still a house divided.”
She mentioned the recent fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, both black men, as well as the killings of five Dallas police officers during an otherwise peaceful protest.
“Despite our best efforts and highest hopes, America’s long struggle with race is far from finished,” she added.
Clinton and Trump are fighting a neck-and-neck race, with the Democrat’s lead over the Republican narrowing to three points following a week full of controversy, with Clinton’s email controversy in the spotlight, reports NBC News. While the FBI and Department of Justice announced on July 5 that they would indict her, the nature of the report raised questions that she was careless with classified documents and might have been dishonest during the investigation.