CHICAGO ― Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a rousing speech Monday night in support of Kamala Harris for president, emphasizing that her victory in November would mean that women everywhere have finally smashed through the glass ceiling.
“Together we’ve put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling,” Clinton said. “Tonight we are so close to breaking through once and for all. I want to tell you what I see through all those cracks. And what it matters for each and every one of us.”
Clinton, who was hoping to become the first female president in 2016 but lost to Donald Trump, said if Harris becomes that historic first, she sees endless freedoms for people.
“I see the freedom to make our own decisions about our health, our lives, our loves, our families,” she said. “To speak our minds freely and honestly. I see freedom from fear and intimidation from violence and injustice, from chaos and corruption.”
“And you know what?” Clinton added. “On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th president of the United States.”
The crowd erupted into deafening cheers in response, something they’d already been doing from the moment Clinton stepped on stage. She seemed happy to receive it, too. She was beaming and forceful throughout her speech. She took several shots at Trump, something she may have been eager to do given how ugly his campaign was in 2016.
“It is no surprise, is it, that he is lying about Kamala’s record. He’s mocking her name and her laugh. Sounds familiar,” she said to laughs, referring to Trump doing the same thing to her in 2016. “But we have him on the run now.”
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At times, TV cameras panned to people in the crowd who appeared visibly emotional to see her standing on stage, urging people to help make Harris the historic presidential nominee that Clinton had hoped to be eight years ago.
But the former senator and secretary of state was clear that a victory for Harris is a victory for all women, including her.
“My friends, when a barrier falls for one of us, it falls and clears the way for all of us,” Clinton said. “For the next 78 days, we need to work harder than we ever have…. I want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know I was here at this moment, that we were here, that we were with Kamala Harris every step of the way.”
She sent the crowd into another round of deafening applause when she closed her remarks by saying that even if 2016 wasn’t the right time for America’s first female president, it is now.
“This is our time, America,” she said, her voice rising. “This is when we stand up. This is when we break through. The future is here; it’s in our grasp. Let’s go win!”
Clinton left the stage to “Fight Song,” her signature 2016 campaign song that reporters heard approximately 4,282 times on the campaign trail with her.