Hillary Clinton On The Bond Among First Ladies From New Memoir | The View

You know, this book is so easy to read, but you're so vulnerable in it. And I listen to it, as Whoopi often advises me to. And there's something that you said that really struck me. You said, you stepped out of your comfort zone to write it. And tell us about that and what you want people to take away when they read it. Because it is a different Hillary Clinton from your other book. Oh, wow, thanks, Sunny. Well, you know, I was really inspired to write it by seeing Joni Mitchell on the Grammys earlier this year. Her music has been so important to me throughout my life. And she had an aneurysm, and she came back from it. And she was sitting in this chair that looked like a throne, and she was singing one of my all-time favorite songs called Both Sides Now. I've looked at love from both sides now. I've looked at life from both sides now. Oh, my gosh. It just sort of hit me, and it made me start thinking about, OK, I'm at a different stage of my life, and kind of taking stock a little bit about what my life has meant to me and some things I've lost, some things I've gained. And my editor had been asking me to think about doing another book. And I told him, I said, you know, I was watching Joni Mitchell, and maybe if I could do a book of essays where I talk about my family, my friends, obviously politics, because that's a big part of my life, but really focus more on the personal so it's a combination of both. And he said, well, make it seem like you're at a dinner party, and you're just kind of chatting with people. And everybody's saying, what's it like getting older? I mean, how are you doing it? What are your experiences? And that's kind of what motivated me. You also write in the book about the so-called sisterhood of presidential wives. Is that real? It's not exactly. Are you lying? It's a phrase that Jimmy Carter's grandson used about first ladies at Rosalynn Carter's funeral, which I went to on Air Force One with President and Mrs. Biden and Michelle Obama and Bill and I. And when he said that, it sort of struck me. I mean, I never thought about it as a sisterhood. We're very different people. But it caused me to reflect about this experience that I had as first lady for eight years and the other women who I'd gotten to know in that role. And I write about how we landed in Atlanta. We got into the motorcade to go to the church where the memorial service was to be held. And we walked into the basement of the church where all the dignitaries were being rounded up. And I saw Laura Bush, who is just absolutely delightful, talking with Melania Trump. And none of us knew that she was going to be there. And Michelle and Jill Biden and I were like, wow, nobody told us. But immediately, all of our training, our good manners, everybody immediately went up and Michelle gave her one of her hugs. And even Jill said how glad she was to see her. And I said hello to her. And I write about how I thought it was a very positive thing for her to show up. And obviously... You can give her that. Yeah. You can give her that. Yeah. It was probably scary too. I think it was a little scary. I say she looks like the kid on the outside of the birthday party. Like, am I going to be accepted? Do I belong here? So I think that when Jason Carter talked about the sisterhood, there are certain experiences, even though we are obviously very different people. And I talk about the extraordinary friendship that Lady Bird Johnson extended to me, that Jackie Kennedy extended to me. It made such a difference at critical times. I mean, I was in the White House for maybe a week and it's pretty overwhelming. And Jackie Kennedy had endorsed Bill early and had said, if you ever want to talk, let me know. And I literally called her up and said, can I come see you? So I came to New York and went to her apartment and we talked about raising children. She talked about Caroline and John in the White House. I was obviously working hard to make sure Chelsea, who you all know, had as normal a childhood as possible. I mean, it was so kind and so extraordinarily helpful to me. So there is a relationship that I thought it would be worth describing to people because I have this experience that is pretty unique. And you all know what the situation is. There's a book that talks about this very thing with the presidents because they all have to call each other and say, okay, am I crazy? Because you are the only people in the world who have had this experience. So I would assume the same is right for the first wives and now the first gentlemen. Because these are the things that only you all will know. Biden was always very helpful to Pence, having a former VP that he could call. It really does help. And it helps tamper down the crazy. I know it doesn't seem like it, but it does because aside from that particular person, most of the presidents, regardless of where they stood, have always stayed in touch with each other because they are the only ones that know what that late night is like. There are several really good books about that, including this one now. We saw the second attempt on Donald Trump's life this past week in this assassination attempt. We know the Iranian regime has a price on his head. Are you fearful for his safety and for Vice President Harris's for that matter? And what do you make of this conversation around political rhetoric? Well, first of all, political violence has no place in this country. Everybody needs to condemn it as strongly as possible. We need to do everything necessary to keep candidates and public officials safe because as you point out, Alyssa, it's not just homegrown terrorism. Now we have to worry about foreign adversaries. It's not enough they interfere in our elections. They seem to be encouraging the targeting of our candidates. So let's do everything we can to make sure that everybody is safe. And I can't be more strong about that. I have to ask you this, and it's deeply personal, I think. The election's 46 days away. And you are the woman that didn't crash through the ceiling, but man, you made a lot of cracks, right? And so I wonder, in reading your book, and you address it a little bit, how will you feel when she wins? Will there be a part of you that feels, wow, I wish that were me? No, not anymore. Not anymore. I finished this book before everything happened. And so I wrote an epilogue for the audio version. Anybody who buys the audio version, you'll hear this at the end. Because I did wonder how I would feel first President Biden withdrew, endorsed the vice president. My husband and I quickly endorsed her. And I felt excited, exhilarated. I was literally thrilled. And it was in large measure because I know her, and I've been involved with her since she has been vice president. Her sister worked for me in 2016. I'm just so personally fond of her. But also, I think she's the right person for our country at this time. Because remember, this election, it's not just between two people. It's between two very different ideas about what our country should be. And it's between democracy and autocracy. It's between freedom and oppression. It's between someone who wants to bring us together, Kamala Harris wants to be the president for everybody. And that includes people who don't vote for her. Because she knows if we don't start bringing our country together, we are vulnerable not only internally to division, but externally to bad actors in Russia, in Iran, in China, and elsewhere who want to keep dividing us and bring us down. So this is an election that is going to determine the future of America. I wear this necklace with my grandchildren's name on it every day. Because that's what I'm fighting for. I'm fighting that they have the kind of country and world they deserve to have. And I dedicate this book to them. You sure you don't want a gig like a part-time gig? You know? Listen, we thank you for always coming to the table. It's always a pleasure and an honor. And we didn't even talk about your husband. He has a book. I know, but I do. I talk about him in the book. Well, yes. But in order to know that, you have to get the book. So her new book is called Something Lost, Something Gained. And you can scan the QR code on your screen to buy it now. Members of our studio audience, you know you going home with a copy of this book.