The first Democratic presidential debate is on Tuesday, but that’s not stopping front-runner Hillary Clinton from taking some time to answer some unconventional questions.
The former secretary of state was interviewed Sunday on the BuzzFeed podcast “Another Round.” From being asked if she’s ever told a male colleague to ‘go f--- himself,’ to if she and husband Bill Clinton feel responsible for the current state of the U.S. prison system, to the “weirdest thing” about her,” here’s what the 2016 candidate had to say:
On tearing up in 2008: Clinton was asked about the now-famous moment during her first presidential bid, in New Hampshire when a woman asked her the simple question “How do you do it?” Some have contended Clinton’s emotional response helped her win the state’s primary the next day, while others believed she was faking.
Reflecting back on that moment, the former secretary of state said, “When it was over, I just felt drained. I didn’t feel anything other than that. I didn’t realize it was going to be such a big deal, to be honest.” Clinton later added, “As a woman you’re really held to a totally different standard and you’re expected to be both strong and vulnerable at the same time. That’s not easy to do. And so you just have to be who you are to the best of your ability but it is somewhat frustrating.”
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On if she’s ever told a male colleague to ‘go f--- himself’: The hosts noted how New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand last year acknowledged previous harassment from male colleagues about her looks, reflecting at the time, “I wasn’t in a place where I could tell him to go f--- himself.” Clinton was asked if she’s ever been in the same position.
“Yes, I have,” said Clinton. “I’ve encountered those kinds of situations over the years. And sometimes you just have to ignore what’s happening because there’s a larger issue you’re trying to deal with. Sometimes you have to confront it—it’s almost a snap decision.” She referenced a moment in 1976 when a male colleague she was working with grabbed her shirt upon hearing bad news Clinton was delivering. “I just said ‘get your hands off me,’” she recalled.
On if she and husband Bill feel responsible for the current state of the U.S. prison system: Clinton was asked if she and former President Bill Clinton ever felt like they “f----d this up for black people” when it comes to the now controversial tough-on-crime legislation passed in the 1990s back when her husband was president.
“You always have to learn from what you do,” she said, but noted such legislation at the time was “very strongly supported across communities of color.” She also pointed to her husband recently acknowledging the laws made longer prison sentences worse and reiterated her own call to fix the broken system.
On the ‘weirdest thing about her’: After one of the interviewers noted Clinton doesn’t seem to perspire, the Democrat said that was indeed her strangest attribute and joked that she was a robot. “You guys are the first to realize that I’m really not even a human being. I was constructed in a garage in Palo Alto a very long time ago,” she said, laughing. “People think that –you know—Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, they created it. Oh no. I mean, a man whose name shall remain nameless created me in his garage.”
On if she’d consider being Kanye West’s vice president: Following the rapper’s declaration that he plans to run for president in 2020, Clinton was asked if she’d consider running on West’s ticket as his No. 2. “I’ve told Kanye that I think he might want to wait because I’ll be running for re-election.” In terms of West being her VP, Clinton joked, “I would not rule out anybody.”