Former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton delivered a message at Yale University’s College Class Day on Sunday filled with hope, advice, and—of course—jabs at the 2016 presidential election and its Russian influence.
Clinton, who graduated from Yale law school in 1973, returned to her alma mater to give the speech. Last year, Joe Biden gave the Class Day speech.
Thrilled to be back @Yale speaking at Class Day. Tune in now! https://t.co/5e8dS13aaB
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 20, 2018
Clinton came prepared to partake in the school’s many graduation traditions. She didn’t waste any time before poking fun and President Donald Trump by wearing a furry, black Russian hat.
“If you can’t beat them, join them,” she said, referencing the investigation conducted by Robert Mueller over whether the Russian government meddled with the election to benefit Trump.
Clinton added she was happy for all of the graduates, even the “three of you who live in Michigan who didn’t request absentee ballots in time,” she said.
Of course, Clinton also applauded advances made at the university by fellow Yale women, such as changing the term “freshman” to “first year” and getting the school’s a cappella singing group, the Whiffenpoofs, to say goodbye to its all-male tradition this year.
“As for my long lost Whiffenpoofs audition tape… I’ve buried it so deep Wikileaks can’t find it,” she said. “If you thought my emails were scandalous, you should hear my singing voice.”
But Clinton’s speech wasn’t just fun and games. She also reminded the graduating seniors that they’re entering into a troubling world where the U.S. is in “one of the most tumultuous times” and that it’s going to be a long fight ahead. She stressed the importance of staying resilient.
“Everyone gets knocked down, what matters is whether you get up and keep going,” she continued. “This may be hard for a group of Yale soon-to-be graduates to accept, but yes, you will make mistakes in life, you will even fail, it happens to all of us no matter how qualified and capable we are. Take it from me.”
Clinton also made several mentions of her election loss.
“No, I’m still not over it,” she said. “I still think about the 2016 election, I still regret the mistakes I made.”
“No, I'm not over it. I still think about the 2016 election. I still regret the mistakes I made. I still think, though, that understanding what happened in such a weird and wild election in American history will help us defend our democracy in the future."@HillaryClinton, 5/20
— Philippe Reines (@PhilippeReines) May 21, 2018
More important to Clinton than resilience, however, is “radical empathy.”
“Healing our country is going to take, what I call, radical empathy,” she said. “As hard as it is, this is a moment to reach across divides of race, class, and politics. To try to see the world through the eyes of people very different from ourselves and to return to rational debate, to find a way to disagree without being disagreeable, to try to recapture a sense of community and common humanity.”
The best way to change the U.S. for the better, according to Clinton, is by practicing civic duty—like voting and fighting for important policy changes.
Although she warned that we are living at a time when “fundamental rights, civic virtues, freedom of the press, [and] even facts and reason are under assault,” Clinton expressed optimism that we are “also witnessing an era of new moral conviction, civic engagement, and a sense of devotion to our democracy and country.”
My plan to wear a Hillary Clinton campaign placard as my class day hat surprisingly worked out. It was amazing to hear @HillaryClinton speak at this year’s class day at @Yale — perfect way to end college after I spent my junior year on her campaign! @ReachHigher #Yale2018 pic.twitter.com/cuK15rh1xz
— Ryan Liu (@RyanLiu_CA) May 20, 2018
Yale’s Senior Class Day is an annual tradition at the university and takes place the day before commencement. The school traditionally does not have a commencement speaker, though 2001 was an exception when Clinton was invited to speak.