Hillary Clinton’s seemingly endless book tour stopped by the Ellen DeGeneres show on Friday. Even for the liberal entertainer, the questions were over the top. DeGeneres turned to the woman who lost the 2016 election to wonder if Donald Trump can “last” four years as president. She also wistfully highlighted their 2016 plan to do a show from the Clinton White House.
DeGeneres derided, “You're just thinking, if this was a movie, people would go, ‘There is no way.’ And it just continues to go on. Do you think that he is really going to last four years?” Maybe Clinton might not be the most objective person to answer such a question?
DeGeneres began the interview by lamenting, “Seems like the last time I saw you, you said we were going to do the show in the White House but we were all excited about that.” Clinton assured, “We would have, too.”
Whether they wanted it or not, the host told her audience that they would all be getting the book: “The name of the book is What Happened. Everybody in the audience, you are getting a copy.”
But rest assured, DeGeneres wanted everyone to know she didn’t think ALL Republicans are evil:
I don't believe that you can group a whole bunch of people together. There are some Republicans that are really good, good people and have good intentions. So it is the party, the Republican Party. This is not what it was. This is not what it should be. And so, I do not want to bash Republicans. I do not want to bash anybody. We just want — I think it is important for me to say. Because I obviously wanted you to be president. And I believed in you. And I have strong opinions. But I want to say that I don't judge everybody by this President.
Though Clinton’s questions from actual journalists weren’t much tougher, DeGeneres in 2016 acted more like a star struck fan than a host. She even asked to be Clinton’s vice president. In 2017, she called for tolerance, but said she would never have the President on her program.
A partial transcript of the questions is below:
Ellen
12/15/17
3:25pm ETELLEN DEGENERES: Our next guest was the first woman to run for President of the United States of America [sic]. Despite winning the popular vote, she lost the election. She writes all about it in her new book What Happened. Please welcome Hillary Rodham Clinton.
...
DEGENERES: Seems like the last time I saw you, you said we were going to do the show in the White House but we were all excited about that.
HILLARY CLINTON: We would have, too.
...
DEGENERES: You talk about it in your book, but let's talk about it. You were here three weeks before the election. You were confident.
CLINTON: I was.
DEGENERES: I was confident. A lot of people were confident. It seems like this was a for sure thing, I mean, what a shock. What was going through your mind when you saw was happening?
...
DEGENERES: You're just thinking, if this was a movie, people would go, “There is no way.” And it just continues to go on. Do you think that he is really going to last four years?
...
CLINTON: I can’t answer that. I can’t predict it.
...
DEGENERES: I don't believe that you can group a whole bunch of people together. There are some Republicans that are really good, good people and have good intentions. So it is the party, the Republican Party. This is not what it was. This is not what it should be. And so, I do not want to bash Republicans. I do not want to bash anybody. We just want — I think it is important for me to say. Because I obviously wanted you to be president. And I believed in you. And I have strong opinions. But I want to say that I don't judge everybody by this President.
...
DEGENERES: The name of the book is What Happened. Everybody in the audience, you are getting a copy. We will be right back.
