Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is still railing against the Electoral College, which cost her the presidency in 2016, calling it an “abomination” in a trailer for the new Netflix docuseries titled “The American Experiment.”
In a trailer for the upcoming series, which is executive-produced by Tom Hanks, Clinton remarks, “Well, I personally think the Electoral College is an abomination. For obvious reasons.”
Set to drop today, the new five-part docuseries marks 250 years of U.S. independence by examining “how American democracy has been built, challenged, and reimagined” over the course of its centuries-long history, according to Netflix’s Tudum. In addition to Clinton, the series will feature interviews with dozens of politicians and historians, including former Vice Presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence and Al Gore, as well as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
The push for abolishing the Electoral College, which was instituted in 1787, has gained increased support in some corners of the left, especially after Clinton’s 2016 loss to President Donald Trump. Though Clinton won the national popular vote, Trump secured several key swing states that gave him the Electoral College edge, sending him to the White House.
WHAT IS THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE? HOW DOES IT WORK?
After her loss, Clinton lambasted the system, calling it “the god-forsaken Electoral College” in her 2017 memoir “What Happened.” In an interview with CNN host Anderson Cooper, Clinton reaffirmed her call to abolish the Electoral College, referring to it as “an anachronism that was designed for another time” that “no longer works.”
“We’ve moved toward one person, one vote, that’s how we select winners,” she continued, adding, “I think it needs to be eliminated, I’d like to see us move beyond it.”
Months before Trump’s 2024 victory over Harris, Clinton again raised concerns about the Electoral College, saying in an interview with The 19th, “We are the underdog, that just kind of goes with the territory when we have the Electoral College staring at you.”
Trump defeated Harris both in the Electoral College and in the popular vote.
Fox News Digital reached out to Clinton for additional comment.
In the trailer for the new docuseries, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., states that “the founders themselves were not in love with the Electoral College” and “it was defective from the beginning.”
“We have a problem that a minority of the population, because of the structure of the Electoral College — in some cases, over the objections of the majority — is ruling the majority,” added Lofgren.
Discussing Clinton’s interview, director Brian Knappenberger told Variety, “I knew I would be asking former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton about one of the most painful moments of her life.”
“She has rarely spoken candidly about that election night and we’re really happy she talked about it for the series,” said Knappenberger, adding, “She has a unique perspective as one of only five people in American history to lose the presidency after winning the popular vote. The 2016 election also stands out because Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump in the popular vote by such a significant margin.”
Fox News Digital also reached out to Netflix, Knappenberger and Lofgren for comment.
