Hillary: Leadership ‘More Than a Photo Op’ or ‘Dropping in on Our Neighbors for a Few Hours’

Wednesday in Cincinnati at the American Legion’s national convention, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton criticized Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump without mentioning his name but referencing his trip to Mexico today. She said leadership was “more than a photo op” and added, “It certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours.”

Clinton said, “Some may have served and fought alongside with men and women in other countries. You saw them in action, you know how important these bonds are to our security. Threatening to walk away from our alliances, ignoring the importance that they still are to us is not only wrong, it’s dangerous. If I’m your president, our friends will always know, America will have your back and we expect you to have ours. American leadership means bringing the world together to solve global problems as only we can. The United States built the international coalition against ISIS. Now we’re working with partners to take back territory and defeat them without getting drawn into a ground war. We imposed sanctions on Iran and secured a deal that puts a lid on Iran’s nuclear program without firing a single shot.”

She added, “You don’t build a coalition by insulting our friends or acting like a loose cannon. You do it by putting in the slow, hard work of building relationships, getting countries—working together was my job every day as your secretary of state. It’s more than a photo op. It takes consistency and reliability. Actually, it’s like building personal relationships. People have to get to know that they can count on you, that you won’t say one thing one day and something totally different the next. And it certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours, and then flying home again. That is not how it works. American leadership means leading with our values, and pursuing our interests in protection of our security. At our best, the United States is the global force for freedom, justice, and human dignity. We celebrate our diversity.”

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