Hillary Clinton Is Prepping for Trump Debates By Drawing on “Experience in Elementary School”
August 22, 2016 9:42pm PT by Jackie Strause
Hillary Clinton on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ ABC/Jimmy Kimmel Live
The Democratic presidential nominee talked Donald Trump’s recent “wacky” claims, emails and her husband’s viral balloon moment from the DNC on Monday’s ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live.’
Jimmy Kimmel was greeted by the secret service and bomb-sniffing dogs when he returned to work after a two-week vacation. “All of course because Hillary Clinton is here,” the host told his Jimmy Kimmel Live audience, who cheered for the Democratic presidential nominee when the ABC late-night show returned on Monday.
The cheers continued when Clinton, wearing a bright red blazer, appeared, prompting Kimmel to joke: “Who would have guessed the audience would be so excited for the co-creator of ISIS?”
Referencing the comment made previously by Donald Trump (he said President Barack Obama was the “founder of ISIS” and that Clinton was the “cofounder”), Kimmel pressed the nominee on how she handles such a claim, politically and personally.
“That was one of the crazier things that has been said during this campaign,” she told the late-night host. “I don’t get upset anymore, because I’d be upset all the time. I think it’s crazy, but also harmful.”
She continued, “When Trump talks the way he talks, it actually helps the terrorists. Because they make a case that Hillary Clinton and Obama created ISIS,” saying “we heard it from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.”
The visit marked Clinton’s first late-night appearance since the Democratic National Convention and her historic nomination as the party’s presidential nominee.
During Kimmel’s opening monologue, Kimmel said Clinton is gearing up for the general election debates, but that her campaign is having trouble finding a mock stand-in for Trump, given his divisive rhetoric and persona.
“I’m here to ask for your help!” Clinton told Kimmel. “You have to be prepared for wacky stuff that comes at you. I am drawing on my experience in elementary school — the guy who pulled your ponytail.”
Case in point: Trump claimed that she “lacks the mental and physical stamina to take on ISIS.” Kimmel asked her about the charges that she is unhealthy, as well as Trump’s recent Second Amendment remark. Both claims were categorized by Clinton as being a part of the “alternate universe” of this election.
“I don’t think we’ve ever been confronted with somebody that we see as unqualified and temperamentally unfit [at this point],” she said. Kimmel then took her pulse — “Make sure I’m alive,” she joked — and had her prove her strength by opening a pickle jar.
How great would it be if her first act as president was to deport Trump to Mexico? Kimmel asked.
“I’m not into deporting anybody,” she said, adding, “except violent people.”
Kimmel then turned talk to the DNC’s most viral moment: Bill Clinton’s love for the American-themed balloons that closed out the weeklong event.
“It seemed like he had seen balloons for the first time,” said Kimmel, sparking big laughs from Clinton.
“We were all pretty excited about the balloons,” she said. “That’s one of the things that I love about my husband, is that he enjoys so many things and balloons is one of them.”
Kimmel then showed a picture of one of the balloons in the Clinton suite, as the grandparents said they took one home so they could play with their granddaughter, Charlotte.
“The balloon fantasy and excitement continued,” she said.
When Kimmel asked her how she handles being away from Charlotte on the campaign trail, the nominee said she’d be “distraught” if she didn’t have FaceTime.
“Have you considered using FaceTime instead of email?” he joked, getting a laugh and a clap from Clinton. “Actually, I think that’s really good advice,” she replied
On a serious note, he asked if she is concerned about the next batch of emails being released so close to the election.
“We’ve already released 30,000-plus emails, what’s a few more?” she asked, saying she’s not concerned about Trump finding something to use against her. “He makes stuff up. If he would stick to reality, I wouldn’t have a care in the world.”
Clinton also has never sent Trump an email, she said.
For the lighter parts of the show, Kimmel had Clinton read Trump quotes out of a bowl that was topped with a wig resembling the reality star’s hair. The nominee, however, couldn’t read this one: “I said if Ivanka weren’t my daughter perhaps I’d be dating her.”
Before letting her go, the host pressed Clinton on why she didn’t pick him as her runningmate, ripping on her vice-presidential ticket pick Tim Kaine for seeming like a guy who would wear Crocs, a cell phone belt buckle and have a funny song on his voicemail.
Finally she conceded and named Kimmel as her “Vice Vice President.”
John Krasinski, whose film Hollars premieres this weekend, was Kimmel’s second guest of the night. “I was really thrown by that,” he said of his second-rate billing.
