Supporters of former President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement are criticizing Hillary Clinton for comments she made during a Thursday interview.
While speaking negatively about Trump on CNN, Clinton addressed "MAGA extremists" and said "maybe there needs to be a formal deprogramming of the cult members."
Clinton, the first lady during her husband Bill Clinton's presidential administration as well as a secretary of state under former President Barack Obama, has continued to be a vocal critic of Trump after she was defeated by him during the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has also made Clinton a frequent target of his verbal attacks, and he and one of his lawyers were hit with nearly $1 million in sanctions earlier this year for filing a since-dismissed lawsuit that claimed Clinton and others tried to rig the 2016 election against him.
Clinton's comments to CNN's Christiane Amanpour didn't sit well with some people who have ties to Trump, including Kayleigh McEnany.
"Deplorable Moment times 10!" McEnany, who served as a White House press secretary under Trump, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) of Clinton's remarks on Thursday evening.
Newsweek reached out to an adviser for Clinton via email for comment.
Karoline Leavitt, the spokesperson for Make America Great Again Inc.—the super PAC allied with Trump's 2024 presidential campaign—promised a Trump reelection while speaking out against Clinton's message.
"President Trump has said countless times that they are only coming after him, because he stands in their way from coming after you—and Hillary Clinton just confirmed that to be true," Leavitt wrote on X. "Tens of millions of Americans will reject the Democrat Party's re-education camp agenda in November 2024 when we make Donald Trump the 47th President of the United States."
Monica Crowley, who worked in the Trump administration as a deputy national security adviser before holding a position in his Treasury Department, also took exception with Clinton's statement.
"Mrs. Clinton out here calling for the 'formal deprogramming of the cult members,' ie Trump supporters," Crowley wrote on X. "Her open call for tyranny coincides with the FBI's open admission that it's targeting Trump supporters. None of this is a coincidence. Get it yet?"
Robby Starbuck, a conservative filmmaker and former GOP congressional candidate, said "a line was just crossed that can't be walked back" in a post on X.
"This rhetoric will increase and the Democrats will try to convince their voters that supporting gulags is the virtuous thing to do for the community," Starbuck wrote in part. "In a sane country every single elected Democrat would be asked about this statement tomorrow and condemn it or be run out of political life for agreeing with the forced re-education of citizens."
Meanwhile, the "Hodgetwins"—a stand-up comedy and conservative political commentary duo consisting of identical twin brothers Keith and Kevin Hodge—addressed the controversy on X by writing: "Tyrants love re-education camps."
Not everyone on X denounced Clinton's comments, with some supporting her suggestion.
A science writer who works under the pseudonym of GrrlScientist quoted Clinton about the "formal deprogramming" and added: "preferably before they vote & as a condition of being allowed to vote & own guns, hey?"
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
