Hillary Clinton: Trump Doesn’t Believe in ‘American Exceptionalism’

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Wednesday in Cincinnati at the American Legion’s national convention, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton criticized her opponent Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump by saying, “My opponent in this race has said very clearly that he thinks American exceptionalism is insulting to the rest of the world.”

Clinton said, “My friends, we are so lucky to be Americans. It is an extraordinary blessing. It’s why so many people from so many places want to be Americans too. But it’s also a serious responsibility. The decisions we make and the actions we take, even the actions we don’t take, affect millions, even billions, of lives. You know that, you have seen it. Now all of this might seem evident, especially to men and woman who wear the uniform. You may wonder how anyone can disagree, but in fact, my opponent in this race has said very clearly that he thinks American exceptionalism is insulting to the rest of the world. In fact, when Vladimir Putin, of all people, criticized American exceptionalism, my opponent agreed with him, saying, and I quote, ‘If you’re in Russia, you don’t want to hear that America is exceptional.’ Well maybe you don’t want to hear it ,but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. My opponent misses something important — when we say America is exceptional, it doesn’t mean that people from other places don’t feel deep national pride like we do. It means we recognize America’s unique and unparalleled ability to be a force for peace and progress, a champion for freedom and opportunity. Our power comes with a responsibility to lead humbly, thoughtfully, and with a fierce commitment to our values. Because when America fails to lead, we leave a vacuum that either causes chaos, or other countries or networks rush in to fill the void. So no matter how hard it gets, no matter how great the challenge, America must lead.”

(h/t The Hill)

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

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