Bill Clinton recently weighed in on the state of American politics with a perspective that might raise a few eyebrows, particularly among his fellow Democrats. In an interview, the former president suggested that the country might not be ready for a female president, using Kamala Harris’s loss to Donald Trump as his evidence. Clinton, ever the political theorist, went a step further, implying that a Republican woman might actually have a better shot at breaking the glass ceiling than a Democrat. It’s a twist that could leave some Democrats scratching their heads—or rolling their eyes.
When asked if America isn’t ready for a woman in the Oval Office, Clinton offered a tentative “maybe,” noting that the country has shifted to the right in response to recent turmoil. He speculated that had Hillary Clinton been nominated back in 2008, she could have won as decisively as Barack Obama. In a not-so-subtle dig at Harris, Clinton implied that today’s political climate, dominated by what he called “cultural battles,” has made it harder for women—at least on the left—to succeed on the national stage.
Clinton didn’t stop at gender dynamics; he waded into party politics, suggesting that a conservative Republican woman might find the path to the presidency smoother than her Democrat counterparts. Comparing such a hypothetical candidate to Margaret Thatcher, he mused that a GOP woman could more easily navigate the current political landscape. Clinton did, however, maintain a cautiously optimistic view, predicting that America would see a female president “pretty soon,” though his tone suggested it might not be from his own party.
The interview also touched on a more personal chapter of Clinton’s life: his infamous affair with Monica Lewinsky. He defended including this portion in his latest book, Citizen, explaining that he wanted to help Lewinsky move on from the scandal. In the book, Clinton writes about the affair as something he “lives with all the time” and even commends Lewinsky’s work on anti-bullying initiatives. It’s a curious moment of reflection from the former president, though it’s hard to ignore the irony of Clinton presenting himself as an advocate for Lewinsky’s fresh start while reliving the drama in his memoir.
Clinton, who campaigned for Kamala Harris and Joe Biden in the final stretch of the election, didn’t mince words about Donald Trump’s victory. Calling it a “travesty,” he painted Trump’s return to the White House as a nightmare scenario for the country. For Democrats, Clinton’s comments might sting—part admission of political miscalculation, part unintentional critique of their own strategy. But for conservatives, it’s just more evidence that even seasoned Democrats like Clinton recognize the shifting political winds—and perhaps the limits of their own party’s appeal.
