Hillary Clinton

Clinton Talks Super Tuesday, Shares ‘Secrets' About 2020 Hopefuls on ‘Tonight'

But it was what Clinton didn't say about one unidentified candidate that got the biggest reaction of the night

NBCUniversal, Inc.

Former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton stopped by "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on Wednesday to talk about this year's presidential race and share some "secrets" about the party's 2020 hopefuls.

But before the two dove into politics, Clinton and Fallon bumped elbows instead of shaking hands as a precaution to avoid spreading the coronavirus. Asked by Fallon to share her thoughts on the Trump administration's handling of the outbreak, Clinton said the president needs to "listen to people who actually know something."

"This isn't something you can just insult or pretend is a hoax, despite how hard he's trying," Clinton said, adding that local and state health officials need support from the federal government to assure they have enough resources to respond to an outbreak in their community.

Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016, also appeared to snub one of her party's candidates in a game of "Bag of Secret." Fallon asked Clinton to draw names of current and former Democratic candidates for president and, without revealing their name, share "thoughts or secrets" about the person to help him identify who she is talking about.

Clinton recalled being reprimanded with this person for "giggling on the sofa in the Oval Office," a reference to former Vice President Joe Biden. She offered fairly easy clues about other names she pulled from the bag, like Sen. Kamala Harris being a "dancer" and Pete Buttigieg's youth, "but charismatic and dynamic" personality.

But it was what she didn't say about one unidentified candidate that got the biggest reaction of the night. Clinton pulled a card out of the bag, took a quick glance at it and swiftly tossed it over her shoulder.

"I want to pick that one up right now, I'm like 'Wow!' Fallon said giggling. "Who was...what was...?"

Earlier in the interview, the two discussed the importance of Super Tuesday in an election and Clinton talked about what Biden's victory means for his candidacy.

"It's the first time that the real diversity of our country is going to go out and vote, and then that vote will have a big impact on the outcome, as we saw last night with Joe Biden," she said.

Biden had struggled to gain momentum and raise money in the first few primaries earlier this year. However, he started to gain traction with voters when Rep. Jim Clyburn endorsed him last week. Biden then went on to win the South Carolina primary on Saturday.

This momentum continued into Tuesday when the former vice president won 10 of 14 states. Sen. Bernie Sanders took three Super Tuesday states. NBC News has not yet declared a winner in California.

Clinton also took note of Biden's momentum going into Super Tuesday.

"Look, I thought it was very exciting because starting in South Carolina, he had so much energy. And what he had to say was really enthusiastic and positive," she said.

Clinton, who has known Biden for a long time, says she thinks voters know he is a "kind" and "deeply decent" person.

"He doesn't take cheap shots at people. He doesn't insult people as a way of trying to put people down and lift himself up," she said. "He is such the opposite of what we currently have in the White House."

Clinton also shared that practically all of the current and former Democratic candidates have reached out to her for advice. She told Fallon that some came to her when they were thinking of running for president, and that she's always ready to answer their specific questions.

Her advice to them? Candidates can run a solid campaign and even win the nomination, but they have to recognize the amount of propaganda and lies circulating on the internet, the fact that Russia has and will interfere in the election, and the surge of voter suppression. Clinton specifically cited the long lines in Texas reportedly due to an uneven ratio of voting machines for Democratic and Republican voters.

"I want to applaud everybody who stood in a line yesterday because they were doing the right thing for our country," she said.

And to the voters sitting in the audience or watching on TV, she said to really pay attention, especially with the spread of misinformation online.

"Just because something pops up in your Facebook feed, don't think it's true," Clinton said. "Really be skeptical about what's coming into your Facebook feed or really any kind of social media information that you get because so much of it is manipulated. You don't know where it's coming from."

Contact Us