Hillary Clinton came under fire on Friday after she made an egregiously incorrect statement at Nancy Reagan's funeral in regards to the HIV/AIDS crisis during Reagan's presidency. Clinton said, "And because of both President and Mrs. Reagan—in particular Mrs. Reagan—we started a national conversation." The Reagans were in fact not advocates of HIV/AIDS activism at all, which Clinton's supporters irate and confused at her erroneous claim. She initially took back the praise for Nancy Reagan's nonexistent AIDS activism, but now she's taken it a step further by issuing a formal public apology, Jezebelreports.
In the formal apology published on Medium, Clinton wastes no time in admitting that what she said was utterly incorrect, which is totally necessary before she proceeds. She takes responsibility for the comment in the first paragraph.
She specifically notes that the Reagans were not responsible for starting a national conversation about AIDS and that the real heroes who deserve the credit are the LGBT communities and organizations that fought tirelessly to bring the reality of the epidemic to the forefront of the national consciousness in the '80s and '90s.
Clinton ends the much-needed apology by emphasizing her promise to continue to fight against HIV/AIDS, although she never touches upon the fact that the Reagans actively refused to address the crisis until thousands of people had already succumbed to the disease. Not a perfect apology, but we'll take it.
Related Stories
DNC Vice Chair Steps Down to Officially Endorse Bernie Sanders for President
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii announced her decision on Sunday, pointing to Sanders' stance on military action.
Chelsea Clinton Is Already Calling Bernie 'President Sanders'
Chelsea Clinton was campaigning for her mother Hillary Clinton when she made a serious slip of the tongue.
