Staff Reports
At a recent 92nd Street Y event with The New Yorker’s David Remnick, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton did what insiders love to do after a loss: she judged the decisions that led to it. Her bottom-line line was blunt — she called former President Joe Biden’s choice to run in 2024 “a terrible mistake” for himself, his legacy and the country. That line has Democrats squirming and Republicans smiling, and for good reason.
Clinton’s critique — short, sharp and late
Hillary Rodham Clinton didn’t just toss out a soundbite. She argued that if Mr. Biden had stood down and allowed a real Democratic primary — “passed the torch to the next generation,” as she put it — the party would have chosen a nominee who could have beaten President Donald Trump in 2024. She acknowledged counterfactuals are tricky, but she delivered the kind of straight talk Democrats usually only give at cocktail parties after an election loss. The messy debate night that exposed age and performance questions for Mr. Biden in June 2024 is the clear backdrop to her gripe.
Why this matters for the road to 2028
Clinton’s words matter because they come from the party’s establishment. They signal elite frustration and reshape donor and activist conversations as the Democratic primary picture for 2028 opens up. Former Vice President Kamala Harris’s future run is still unclear, and names like Governor Gavin Newsom of California are already being floated. If the party listens to Clinton, they might move toward new blood — but will they? That’s the big question, and it won’t be decided by sighs at a New York salon.
A convenient lecture from someone who knows the outs
There’s an irony here worth noting. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who lost the 2016 general election, is in a comfortable position to critique a later nominee’s misstep. It’s easier to be wise after the scoreboard is final. Her critique is sharp and useful, but it’s also politically convenient: point at the most visible mistake and let the rest of the party take the heat. Meanwhile, Republicans can point to the result — President Donald Trump won in 2024 — and argue the Democrats chose poorly.
Clinton’s jab will echo through the next campaign cycle. Democrats can pretend it’s ancient history, or they can actually take the lesson: candidates, timing and honest primaries matter. For conservatives, the moment exposes the split in their opponents’ tent and hands an easy talking point: when the party’s own veterans call a choice “a terrible mistake,” voters should pay attention. The 2028 scramble is just beginning, and Clinton’s on-stage verdict will be quoted for months.
