He said the Internet has responded to “Hillary’s ridiculous slander” by sharing around a photo of her “literally embracing and showering praise upon America’s most celebrated former Grand Kleagle of the Ku Klux Klan”.
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Several media editorial boards this week noted the foundation’s philanthropic efforts in areas such as global health and HIV/AIDS, but urged the foundation – formally called the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation – to transfer the work to other large USA charities.
In an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”, she claimed Trump’s campaign was “built on prejudice and paranoia”, a theme she had brought up at a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada.
She said the private Clinton Foundation’s charitable programs would continue if she’s elected, even as Trump and other critics argue they would present a conflict of interest. ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, if she was “disappointed that GOP leaders are not stepping up to defend Mr. Trump here”.
She also insisted that there was no conflict of interest when she was secretary of state, nor was she “influenced” by the foundation. Hillary Clinton called the Republican nominee a racist, and all these Republicans made a decision to come and say, “Oh my gosh you” – not a word.
Former President Bill Clinton, who helped establish the global charity after serving two terms in the White House, would resign from the board if his wife wins the November 8 election, the foundation announced last week.
The back-and-forth accusations came as the two candidates vie for minorities and any undecided voters.
Clinton is looking to counter Trump’s attempts to revamp his image and win over those skeptical of his candidacy.
On Thursday, Trump tried to get ahead of the Democratic nominee, addressing a crowd in Manchester, New Hampshire, minutes before Clinton spoke.
“Hillary Clinton is going to try to accuse this campaign, and the millions of decent Americans who support this campaign, of being racists”, Trump said. “I want you to hear these words, and remember these words: Shame on you”.
The Associated Press reported this week that more than half the people from outside government who met or spoke by telephone with Clinton in the first half of her term as secretary of state had given money – either personally or through companies or groups – to the foundation. “I call on Hillary Clinton to disavow this video and her campaign for this sickening act that has no place in our world”.
Trump, who also met Thursday in NY with members of a new Republican Party initiative meant to train young – and largely minority – volunteers, has been working to win over blacks and Latinos in light of his past inflammatory comments.
The goal of this pitch is not only to reach out to minority voters but also to soften Trump’s image among white moderates, notably women, who have been taken aback by Trump’s rhetoric. “They’ve been very disrespectful, as far as I’m concerned, to the African-American population in this country”, Trump said.
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Cornell William Brooks, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, told C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” Thursday that Trump has not reached out to the organization for any reason. He added that Trump refused the group’s invitation to speak at its convention.
