Hillary Clinton publicly reads her 2016 victory speech for the first time

[December 10, 2021]  (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton has for the first time publicly read the victory speech she would have given had she won the presidential election against former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2016.

The former U.S. Secretary of State and first lady read chunks of the speech as part of a MasterClass she is giving on the power of resilience, the streaming platform said in a press release on Thursday.

"In this lesson, I am going to face one of my most public defeats head-on by sharing with you the speech I had hoped to deliver if I had won the 2016 election," said Clinton in a voiceover in the video on the NBC Today talkshow website.

The video shows Clinton opening a document and reading excerpts of her speech, where she touches on the importance of unity.

"My fellow Americans, today you have sent a message to the whole world ... We will not be defined only by our differences, we will not be an us versus them country. The American dream is big enough for everyone," she says.
 

The speech then points to the milestone her victory to become the United States' first female president would have represented for the country and the world.

"I've met women who were born before women had the right to vote ... I've met little boys and girls who didn't understand why a women has never been president before," it reads.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is seen in New York, U.S., in this undated handout photo provided by MasterClass on December 9, 2021, as MasterClass announced the launch of Clinton's class on the power of resilience. Mandatory credit MasterClass/Handout via REUTERS

"This is a victory for all Americans, men and women, boys and girls, because as our country has proven once again, when there are no ceilings, the sky's the limit."

Clinton gets tearful when she speaks about her deceased mother's tough childhood and what she would have said to her about the victory if she could go back in time. Dorothy Howell Rodham died at the age of 92 in 2011.

"I dream of going up to her ... and saying 'look at me, listen to me, you will survive, you will have a good family of your own and three children and as hard as it might be to imagine, your daughter will grow up and become the president of the United States'."

(Reporting by Ana Nicolaci; Editing by Karishma Singh)

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