Hillary Clinton: I Hoped My Fears About Trump Were 'Overblown' - They Were Not

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton has adapted the afterword from the upcoming paperback edition of her book, What Happened, as an essay for The Atlantic.

The former Secretary of State sounds a clarion call about the current assaults on American democracy in the era of Donald Trump.

Clinton begins thusly:

"It’s been nearly two years since Donald Trump won enough Electoral College votes to become president of the United States. On the day after, in my concession speech, I said, “We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.” I hoped that my fears for our future were overblown.

"They were not.

"In the roughly 21 months since he took the oath of office, Trump has sunk far below the already-low bar he set for himself in his ugly campaign.

"Exhibit A is the unspeakable cruelty that his administration has inflicted on undocumented families arriving at the border, including separating children, some as young as eight months, from their parents. According to The New York Times, the administration continues to detain 12,800 children right now, despite all the outcry and court orders.

"Then there’s the president’s monstrous neglect of Puerto Rico: After Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, his administration barely responded. Some 3,000 Americans died. Now Trump flatly denies those deaths were caused by the storm.

"And, of course, despite the recent indictments of several Russian military intelligence officers for hacking the Democratic National Committee in 2016, he continues to dismiss a serious attack on our country by a foreign power as a “hoax.”

"Trump and his cronies do so many despicable things that it can be hard to keep track. I think that may be the point—to confound us, so it’s harder to keep our eye on the ball. The ball, of course, is protecting American democracy. As citizens, that’s our most important charge. And right now, our democracy is in crisis."

Clinton goes on to encourage folks to vote, vote, vote this fall and more.

I know there are folks who say Hillary should step out of the public square for good. I, for one, disagree.

Definitely worth your read.