Tuesday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stopped by The Daily Show with host Jon Stewart to talk candidly about the release of her new memoir, “Hard Choices,” and the possibility of 2016 presidential campaign.
In the numerous interviews Clinton has faced along her current book tour, she has remained exceedingly unforthcoming about her intentions for the 2016 presidential election. Interviewers commonly try to ease into the discussion by questioning her about it at the end of the interview. Stewart, however, marched right to the point.
According to Stewart:
“It’s an incredibly, I think, complex and well-reasoned eyewitness view to the history of those four years [in office], and I think I speak for everybody when I say, no one cares, they just want to know if you’re running for president.”
Ever so coy, Clinton danced around the question as normal, and gave no hints to her future intentions. She did share a good laugh at the host’s bold tactics.
Clinton replied:
“I was going to make an announcement, but you kind of spoiled it for me.”
Of course that answer was not enough to satisfy Stewart. He quickly pulled out a clipboard and gave the former Secretary of State a “career aptitude test” to see if he could clean some insight into her future plans.
He asked:
“Do you enjoy constant, nonstop criticism?”
Clinton stated:
“‘Enjoy’ is probably the wrong word.”Expect. Survive. Live through. It just sort of comes with the territory.”
Stewart asked:
“Do you like commuting to work or do you like a home office?”
Clinton replied:
“I spent so many years commuting; I kind of prefer a home office.”
Stewart asked:
“Do you have a favorite shape for that home office? Would you like that office ? to have corners? Or would you like it not to have corners.”
Clinton answered:
“You know…I think that the world is so complicated, the fewer corners that you can have, the better.”
There might have been a few hints there in her answers. What were the results of the test?
According to Stewart:
“It sounds to me, if I may, like you’ve just declared for president.”
Clinton also made a point of noting her “inartful use of words” when she described her family as “dead broke” when they left The White House and the unfortunate criticism that drew. She and Stewart also discussed her thoughts on the economy and education, as well as the troubles young people face now trying to climb the career ladder. Clinton says that she worries about the younger generation not having as many opportunities as her generation did.
According to Clinton:
“We believed that we could pretty much make our way up the ladder and now I think a lot of particularly young people don’t believe that anymore. And that bothers me a lot.”
The interview aired Tuesday night at 11 p.m. ET, but The Daily Show allowed reporters in early to view the taping of the Clinton interview.
You can watch the full extended interview?of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton via The Daily Show here.
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