Sen. Claire McCaskill doubled down Sunday on her criticism of Hillary Clinton’s comments about voters who supported President Trump, saying the failed 2016 presidential candidate should show respect to all American voters and not just the ones who voted for her.
Mrs. Clinton has faced significant criticism for comments she made earlier this month in India about Trump voters, telling a conference in Mumbai that she, unlike her former rival, clinched the vote in “places that represent two-thirds of America’s gross domestic product.”
“So I won the places that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward. And his whole campaign, ’Make America Great Again,’ was looking backwards,” she said.
Mrs. Clinton later defended her comments in a Facebook post, stating that “places doing better economically typically lean Democratic, and places where there is less optimism about the future lean Republican.
“That doesn’t mean the coasts versus the heartland. It doesn’t even mean entire states,” she added. “In fact, it more often captures the divisions between more dynamic urban areas and less prosperous small towns within states.”
Despite Mrs. Clinton’s explanation, Mrs. McCaskill said the comments still felt like a slight to Missouri voters.
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“I understand the point she was trying to make, but it felt like she was criticizing Missouri voters,” the Missouri Democrat told MSNBC on Sunday. “I would draw a line there. I have great respect for Missouri voters, and there were a lot of reasons they voted for Donald Trump, some of which I completely understand.
“It wasn’t helpful. I think it was wrong how she put it,” she added. “For those of us that are in states that Trump won, we would really appreciate if she would be more careful and show respect to every American voter and not just the ones who voted for her.”
Mrs. McCaskill made similar remarks this month denouncing Mrs. Clinton’s statement, telling The Washington Post that they were “fighting words.”
“Those are kind of fighting words for me, because I’m partial to Missouri voters,” she said. “I think they were expressing their frustration with the status quo. I may not have agreed with their choice, but I certainly respect them. And I don’t think that’s the way you should talk about any voter, especially ones in my state.”
WOAH.
— Kasie DC (@KasieDC) March 25, 2018
“For those of us that are in states that Trump won we would really appreciate if she would be more careful and show respect to every American voter and not just the ones who voted for her” - Claire McCaskill on Hillary Clinton pic.twitter.com/J1rBBar8gR
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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