• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
MPWMost Powerful Women

Hillary Clinton Compares Trump to Nixon and Calls His Budget Plan a ‘Con’

By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 26, 2017, 1:47 PM ET

Hillary Clinton is taking no prisoners.

In her commencement speech at Wellesley College Friday, she spoke at length, not just about her hopes and dreams for the graduates of her alma mater, but about President Trump, whom she criticized harshly and likened to former president Richard Nixon.

She drew parallels between her student commencement speech in 1969 and the speech she gave Friday.

“We were furious about the past presidential election of a man whose presidency would eventually end in disgrace for impeachment of obstruction of justice,” she said, “after firing the person running the investigation into him at the Department of Justice.”

In 1973, President Nixon dismissed Archibald Cox, who had acted as an independent special prosecutor to investigate the events surrounding the Watergate scandal. This month, President Trump fired FBI director James Comey, who was in the midst of an investigation into the Trump White House’s ties to Russia and that country’s possible interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Subscribe to the Broadsheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.

She also echoed a sentiment she expressed earlier this week at a Children’s Health Fund event in New York City about Trump’s recent budget proposal, calling it “an attack of unimaginable cruelty on the most vulnerable among us.”

The budget calls for slashing more than $610 billion from the Medicaid budget, cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (which provides food stamps) by $190 billion and cuts to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grants by $15.6 billion.

In addition to being “cruel,” the budget is a “con,” the former secretary of state said. “It’s a trillion-dollar mathematical lie.”

Clinton also cautioned graduates against accepting untruths.

“When people in power invent their own facts and attack those who question them, it can mark the beginning of the end of a free society,” Clinton said, “That is not hyperbole, it is what authoritarian regimes throughout history have done.”

About the Author
By Valentina Zarya
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in MPW

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in MPW

Fortune 500 Power Moves: Which executives are gaining and losing power
C-SuiteFortune 500 Power Moves
Fortune 500 Power Moves: Which executives are gaining and losing power
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
6 days ago
The short, uneasy tenure of Pam Bondi
NewslettersMPW Daily
The short, uneasy tenure of Pam Bondi
By Emma HinchliffeApril 3, 2026
6 days ago
Olympic champion Eileen Gu’s advice for women seeking her heights of career success: Don’t be a small fish in a big pond, ‘Create your own pond’
MPWMost Powerful Women
Olympic champion Eileen Gu’s advice for women seeking her heights of career success: Don’t be a small fish in a big pond, ‘Create your own pond’
By Emma HinchliffeMarch 31, 2026
9 days ago
Can Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In take on tradwives and the manosphere?
NewslettersMPW Daily
Can Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In take on tradwives and the manosphere?
By Emma HinchliffeMarch 27, 2026
13 days ago
Influencer Alix Earle turned her worst insecurity into her first brand. This is her plan to monetize her 14 million followers and make it last
MPWMost Powerful Women
Influencer Alix Earle turned her worst insecurity into her first brand. This is her plan to monetize her 14 million followers and make it last
By Emma HinchliffeMarch 26, 2026
14 days ago
The youngest-ever female CEO of a Fortune 500 company is fighting Trump’s cuts to keep Medicaid strong
MagazineCentene
The youngest-ever female CEO of a Fortune 500 company is fighting Trump’s cuts to keep Medicaid strong
By Diane BradyMarch 24, 2026
16 days ago

Most Popular

The U.S. had a national debt ‘home run’ in its grasp, says Jamie Dimon. But the government did nothing, and now its best option is crisis management
Economy
The U.S. had a national debt ‘home run’ in its grasp, says Jamie Dimon. But the government did nothing, and now its best option is crisis management
By Fortune EditorsApril 8, 2026
1 day ago
2 years ago, Saudi Arabia quietly canceled the ‘petrodollar’ deal with America that wired the world economy for 50 years. Then war broke out in Iran
Energy
2 years ago, Saudi Arabia quietly canceled the ‘petrodollar’ deal with America that wired the world economy for 50 years. Then war broke out in Iran
By Fortune EditorsApril 7, 2026
2 days ago
MacKenzie Scott's latest donation takes her HBCU giving to well over $1 billion
Success
MacKenzie Scott's latest donation takes her HBCU giving to well over $1 billion
By Fortune EditorsApril 7, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of April 8, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 8, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 8, 2026
1 day ago
Artemis II’s astronauts are on their way home—a six-figure salary but no overtime or hazard pay awaits them back on Earth
Success
Artemis II’s astronauts are on their way home—a six-figure salary but no overtime or hazard pay awaits them back on Earth
By Fortune EditorsApril 7, 2026
2 days ago
Self-made billionaire MrBeast says his work-life balance is nonexistent and calls it a ‘miracle’ if he works less than 15-hour days: ‘I live to work’
Success
Self-made billionaire MrBeast says his work-life balance is nonexistent and calls it a ‘miracle’ if he works less than 15-hour days: ‘I live to work’
By Fortune EditorsApril 8, 2026
23 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.