Just weeks before the Iowa Caucus, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres again gave Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton a softball platform to promote her candidacy. At one point, DeGeneres reiterated her endorsement of Clinton: “And you know what a supporter I am. I think that you’re as smart as can be, I think you are qualified, I think you stand for everything that I want in a president.”
Back in September, DeGeneres brought Clinton on for a similar fawning sit-down in New York’s Rockefeller Plaza that had the feel of campaign rally. The liberal host told Clinton that she didn’t have to answer any more questions about the e-mail scandal: “I actually don't think you need to. It's just that people keep bringing it up. They have not found a thing. They keep saying they’ve found something, but then we don’t hear anything about it. So they haven’t found anything.”
At that time, DeGeneres blamed the controversy on sexism: “I personally believe that women are held to a different standard than men.” On Monday, she repeated that claim: “I’ve said it before that you are held to a completely different standard than everyone else that seems to be, you know, held to.”
DeGeneres fretted: “I mean, we’re living in a world right now that there’s so much fear. I mean, there’s so much going on with the gun violence, with terrorists, and everyone’s scared. Everyone is so scared and I think people need to be reassured that we’re okay.”
In part, Clinton declared:
We’ve got to understand we’re all in this together. And at the end of the day, if you’re in some kind of a crisis, you know, people don’t come and ask you, “Well, you know, are you a Republican, are you Democrat?” They just come and they say, “What can I do to help you?” And that’s how we need to be treating each other, I think.
Amid audience applause, DeGeneres replied: “I agree. I think – and that’s what I really try to do here with this show. I try to remind everybody of what we have in common and what we all want in our lives, which is to love and be loved. That’s all we all want, is to love and be loved.”
DeGeneres went on to ask Clinton about hosting Saturday Night Live and taking a selfie with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
Here is a portion of the exchange aired on January 11:
ELLEN DEGENERES: Your husband said recently that at one point – and I don’t know when this happened – you said that you would not run for president because you thought you were too aggressive to run for president.
HILLARY CLINTON: Right.
DEGENERES: What do you mean by that? And do you really believe that?
CLINTON: Well, I think if he’s referring to what I believe he’s referring to, you know, I think it still is hard being a woman running for president.
DEGENERES: I agree.
(...)
DEGENERES: Well, I mean, I’ve said it before that you are held to a completely different standard than everyone else that seems to be, you know, held to. And you know what a supporter I am. I think that you’re as smart as can be, I think you are qualified, I think you stand for everything that I want in a president. And I think that you are –
[APPLAUSE]
I mean, we’re living in a world right now that there’s so much fear. I mean, there’s so much going on with the gun violence, with terrorists, and everyone’s scared. Everyone is so scared and I think people need to be reassured that we’re okay.
(...)
CLINTON: We’ve got to understand we’re all in this together. And at the end of the day, if you’re in some kind of a crisis, you know, people don’t come and ask you, “Well, you know, are you a Republican, are you Democrat?” They just come and they say, “What can I do to help you?” And that’s how we need to be treating each other, I think.
[APPLAUSE]
DEGENERES: Yeah. I agree. I think – and that’s what I really try to do here with this show. I try to remind everybody of what we have in common and what we all want in our lives, which is to love and be loved. That’s all we all want, is to love and be loved.
CLINTON: That’s right.
[APPLAUSE]
(...)
