How Hillary Clinton hopes to "unify the party"
Hillary Clinton has a new mission to "unify the party" after securing the number of delegates -- 2,838 including both pledged delegates and superdelegates -- needed for the Democratic Party nomination late Monday night.
Clinton said her campaign is reaching out to make inroads with the Sanders campaign.
"Our campaigns are talking to one another. I want to unify the party. I look forward to talking with him personally, because I think his campaign has been a really dynamic and exciting experience for the millions of Americans -- particularly young people -- who supported him," she said in an interview with ABC's David Muir before taking the stage to address supporters in Brooklyn, the home of her campaign.
In particular, she praised Sanders' commitment to universal health care coverage and income inequality. Looking forward, Clinton said she wants to address all Americans, "the struggling, the striving, the successful among us." In particular, she vowed to reach out to "places that are not realizing the benefits of our progressive economy," a potential reference to the predominantly blue-collar, white communities in which Senator Sanders won more votes throughout the primary campaign. The Vermont senator did not concede the race to Clinton in his speech late last night to supporters.
Reflecting on her primary fights in 2008 versus 2016, Clinton said that this time around she was heartened to see less resistance to a female presidential candidate.
"A lot of the challenges that we confronted back in '08 seem to have diminished -- I'm not going to say disappeared, but diminished -- there was a greater acceptance by people that a woman could be president, could be commander in chief. And I didn't really feel like I had to make that case. But instead I had to present my qualifications, my experience, what I want to do with my agenda for this country," she said.
Clinton went on to underscore the importance of having the first female on a major-party presidential ticket in the United States.
"Symbols mean something, and symbols often can spark hope in people, particularly young people. I think it will be a real milestone with our nomination for our country, but it will also send a signal around the world."
Asked about possible vice presidential picks like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, she insisted her campaign does not yet have a short list and will examine all possibilities. She also insisted there is "absolutely" nothing that has yet to be revealed from her email communications while serving as secretary of state that will disrupt her campaign against Donald Trump.
President Obama, who is in New York City today to tape an interview with Jimmy Fallon and attend two Democratic Party fundraisers, has not yet publicly endorsed Clinton but is expected to do so imminently now that the primary campaign has wound down.
"I think we're going to be fighting side by side," the former Secretary of State said of the president.
Pivoting to the general election, she called out Donald Trump for his "racist attack" on an Hispanic federal judge and the "cavalier, casual way" that he discusses the use of nuclear weapons on the world stage.
Clinton said she's looking forward to debating the presumptive Republican nominee one-on-one.
"I think it will be a singular moment in American history," she said.