Why Clinton Wants to Give Meghan Markle a Hug

Former first lady says the Duchess of Sussex has been subjected to racist treatment
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 12, 2019 7:00 PM CST
Why Clinton Wants to Give Meghan Markle a Hug
US former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, left, talks to Classicist Mary Beard, at the Southbank Centre in London during the launch of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience, a book by Chelsea and Hillary Clinton, in London, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019.   (Aaron Chown/PAvia AP)

Hillary Clinton is no stranger to negative media portrayals, and since getting involved with Prince Harry, neither is Meghan Markle. In a BBC interview this week, Clinton said she'd like to offer some encouragement to Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex. "She is an amazing young woman, she has an incredible life story. She has stood up for herself, she has made her own way in the world. And then she falls in love, and he falls in love with her, and everybody should be celebrating that because it is a true love story," Clinton said. Instead, Markle has recently spoken out about the pressure of her new high-profile life as a British royal and revealed she's suing a British tabloid over its publication of a letter she wrote to her father. "I feel as a mother I just want to put my arms around her," Clinton continued. "Oh my God, I want to hug her. I want to tell her to hang in there, don't let those bad guys get you down."

Clinton noted that "race was clearly an element" to the social media backlash that has followed Markle since she and Harry were first linked romantically; Chelsea Clinton, who joined her mother for the interview, added, "I think absolutely there's a racist and a sexist element to what's going on here." Hillary Clinton called Markle's treatment "heartbreaking and wrong" and said she "deserves a lot better." As far as advice to offer the duchess, Clinton suggested "techniques" for handling unfair treatment like "some humor, some deflection." The Washington Post notes that elsewhere during the same interview, Clinton said "many, many, many people" have encouraged her to run for president again in 2020. The paper says she continued to signal she has no current plans to do so, though she added, "Well, you know, I’d never say never to anything." (More Hillary Clinton stories.)

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