Clinton: My fears about Trump were not overblown

Former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton writes in a new afterward for her book, “What Happened,”  that the nation’s democracy “is in crisis,” adding that President Trump “has sunk far below the already-low bar he set for himself in his ugly campaign.”

“In my concession speech, I said, ‘We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead,’ ” she wrote in excerpts published Sunday by The Atlantic. “I hoped that my fears for our future were overblown. They were not.”

{mosads}Clinton cited the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy at the border that resulted in children being separated from their parents, Trump’s “monstrous neglect” of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and Trump’s dismissal of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

“I don’t use the word crisis lightly,” she wrote. “There are no tanks in the streets. The administration’s malevolence may be constrained on some fronts—for now—by its incompetence. But our democratic institutions and traditions are under siege. We need to do everything we can to fight back. There’s not a moment to lose.”

Clinton, who lost the general election to Trump in 2016 despite winning the popular vote, added that Trump has assaulted the rule of law, waged war on “truth and reason” and undermined the “national unity that makes democracy possible.” She also wrote that Trump has “breathtaking corruption” and that the legitimacy of the country’s elections are now in doubt.

Clinton also calls for a “massive turnout” in the midterm elections.

“There are fantastic candidates running all over the country, making their compelling cases every day about how they’ll raise wages, bring down health-care costs, and fight for justice,” she wrote. “If they win, they’ll do great things for America. And we could finally see some congressional oversight of the White House.”

–This report was updated at 1:37 p.m.