Hillary Clinton Rages Against China During AFL-CIO Speech

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO'
Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is vowing to get tough on China if she is elected president.

In a stem-winding speech to the AFL-CIO union, Clinton says, “I’ve gone toe-to-toe with Chinese leaders on some of the toughest issues we’ve faced … I know how they operate,” she said during a campaign speech in Pennsylvania. “And they know that if I’m their president, they’re going to have to toe the line.”

Clinton made a handful of promises, vowing to get tough with China, accusing it of breaking trade rules which, she insisted, would be enforced in her administration.

She also alluded to Donald Trump’s rhetoric on trade, suggesting that he didn’t have a record of political accomplishment on the issue.

“We need a president who doesn’t just complain about trade. We need a president who knows how to compete against the rest of the world and win for America and American workers,” she said.

Trump, she insisted, didn’t know anything about the problems working people faced.

“It’s time he gets out of one of those towers named for himself and start talkin’ to folks who are like workin’ for a living all over, right?” she said.

Although Clinton promoted the trans-Pacific trade deal during her time in the Obama administration, she praised herself for turning against the president’s proposal after she began running for president.

“When the transpacific partnership was finally completed, and we could all see what was in it, I opposed it,” she said. “Because I didn’t think I could look in the eyes of any American worker and say this deal will create more jobs and raise your wages.”

She warned that the Chinese economy has stalled, warning that their abusive behavior could get even worse if they were under pressure.

“The next president has to understand the games Beijing plays and be prepared to stop it,” she said.

Since it was a union speech, Clinton decried the Republican led effort to pass a National Right To Work Law.

“Right to work is wrong for workers and wrong for America,” she said as the audience applauded.

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