Former Secretary Hillary Clinton delivered a fiery speech in Toledo, Ohio on Monday, accusing Donald Trump of representing Wall Street and the super-rich.
At one point, she condemned Trump for using his political connections to enrich himself, ignoring her record of accepting millions of dollars in political donations and receiving a gigantic portion of her personal wealth from paid speeches.
“[H]e was using his political connections to collect hundreds of millions of dollars in government subsidies and extra tax breaks for his companies,” she said.
She argued that Trump represented the elite, and that putting him in charge would be like “letting the fox guard the hen house.”
“Part of the problem is that large corporations are amassing so much power in our economy,” she said.
Clinton appeared to channel the liberal brand of populism championed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, vowing to raise more taxes on the rich and add more government regulations to make the country more fair.
Clinton also ridiculed Trump for not earning the support of any wealthy individuals. ”Not a single CEO of a Fortune 100 company supports Trump’s campaign,” she said.
Yet she called it “infuriating” that companies moved their profits overseas to avoid taxes, vowing to close loopholes for corporations.
“We’re going to make Wall Street corporations and the super rich start paying their fair share of taxes,” she said.
She also insisted that she would oppose Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
“I oppose TPP now, I’ll oppose it after the election, and I’ll oppose it as president,” she said, vowing to enforce more trade rules.
Clinton took a more hostile tone towards big bankers and corporations, blasting them for using “fine-print gotchas” to hurt the middle class and attacked the pharmaceutical industry, accusing them of trying to “cheat” people who needed prescription drugs.
She also repeatedly ridiculed Trump’s wealth and reputation, mocking him for losing nearly a billion dollars in 1995 and paying zero taxes, according to a report from the New York Times.
“Here’s my question, what kind of genius loses a billion dollars in a single year?” she said mockingly.
She blamed wealthy people like Trump for paying no taxes yet frequently pointing out the problems with the U.S. government institutions.
“Trump represents the same rigged system that he claims he’s going to change,” Clinton said.
Clinton also touted the success of the auto industry bailout, arguing that Trump would have allowed it to fail.
“He would have let you twist and fall,” she said.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.