Hillary Clinton said in a recent interview that efforts to “turn the clock back” on social progress are causing serious harm to the United States’ trajectory toward equality and inclusion. Speaking with MSNBC’s MS Now, the former secretary of state and first lady emphasized that the country has been moving, albeit imperfectly, toward a more just society—a progress she believes is being threatened today.
Clinton framed her comments around the ongoing struggle to uphold the constitutional ideal that “all men and women are created equal,” warning that some forces on the political right are attempting to erase or rewrite inconvenient parts of American history. “We fought a civil war over part of it,” Clinton said, referencing the nation’s violent conflict over slavery in the 19th century. “And people have been protesting, you know, for hundreds of years that, you know, things were not as they should be, given our ideals and how we should be moving toward them. So I think that’s what makes us so special as a country.”
Hillary Clinton coming right out and saying it.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 18, 2026
She’s now ranting about how the “damage” white Christian men have done to society.
Evil.
pic.twitter.com/IJgyVELLOa
She continued by criticizing attempts to restore a social order dominated by a narrow segment of white Christian men. “The idea that you could turn the clock back and try to recreate a world that never was dominated, you know, let’s say it, white men of a certain persuasion, a certain religion, a certain point of view, a certain ideology, it’s just doing such damage to what we should be aiming for. And we were on the path toward that, I mean, imperfectly, lots of bumps along the way. But I agree with you. We were on the right trajectory.”
Clinton’s remarks implicitly reference contemporary political dynamics, including the administration of President Donald Trump. Her comments suggest a critique of policies and rhetoric that she views as attempting to roll back social and political gains made over decades.
The civil war Clinton cited refers to the conflict from 1861 to 1865 between the Northern and Southern states over issues including slavery and states’ rights. Its outcome abolished slavery and set the stage for the long, ongoing struggle for civil rights. Clinton’s broader point draws on centuries of activism, reform movements, and legal changes in the United States—from the abolition of slavery and the suffrage movement to the civil rights era—underscoring that the country’s progress has been neither linear nor inevitable.
By highlighting these historical milestones, Clinton framed the current political moment as part of a continuum of struggle between entrenched power structures and efforts to expand rights and equality. Her remarks also touch on contemporary partisan divides, particularly the erosion of support for the Democratic Party among certain demographics, which she linked to broader concerns about the party’s ability to respond to social and economic challenges.
Clinton concluded by emphasizing the importance of maintaining the forward trajectory of progress, acknowledging that it has been uneven but asserting that the direction of change over time has been toward greater inclusion and justice. Her statements come amid ongoing national debates over voting rights, education, historical memory, and social policy, reflecting concerns about whether the United States can continue on its historical path toward a more equitable society.
