Reporter: The RNC has criticized you for not smiling, you’ve suggested there’s a double standard
Hillary Clinton: ?pic.twitter.com/VG0ryG9TOe
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) September 8, 2016
Grin and bear it! Hillary Clinton responded to critics who said she didn’t smile enough during the televised Commander-in-Chief Forum on Wednesday, September 7. The Democratic presidential nominee, 68, was interviewed by Matt Lauer, who devoted much of his 30-minute time slot with her to discussing her email controversy, then rushed through other important issues.
Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus criticized the presidential hopeful’s demeanor in a tweet on Wednesday. “@HillaryClinton was angry + defensive the entire time – no smile and uncomfortable – upset that she was caught wrongly sending our secrets,” he wrote.
Clinton first hit back on Twitter, writing, “Actually, that’s just what taking the office of President seriously looks like.”
She further discussed the issue during a press event in White Plains, New York, on Thursday, September 8, and explained that her lack of smiling was due to the “serious issues” being discussed.
“I don’t take anything seriously that comes from the RNC,” she said. “I had a very short window of time in that event last night to convey the seriousness with which I would approach the issues that concern our country.”
She also took a jab at Donald Trump, saying that he used much of his time to praise Russian president Vladimir Putin. “Maybe he did it with a smile,” she said, grinning. “I guess the RNC would have liked that.”
Lauer received a lot of backlash on social media because he interrupted Clinton several times but let Trump talk without fact-checking some of his claims. When Clinton was asked whether she feels she’s treated differently as a woman in the presidential race, she replied, “I’m going to let you all ponder that last question. I think there will be a lot of Ph.D. theses and popular journalism writing on that subject for years to come.”
