On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State, First Lady, and presidential candidate, stirred controversy by drawing parallels between the historic military operation and the current United States political climate in a post on X.
Her statement, “Eighty years ago today, thousands of brave Americans fought to protect democracy on the shores of Normandy. This November, all we have to do is vote,” has provoked backlash from conservative figures and veterans. Critics argue that Clinton’s comparison trivializes the sacrifices made during one of the most significant events of World War II.
The historic event of June 6, 1944, when thousands of Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, marked the beginning of a large-scale offensive that eventually led to the downfall of Nazi Germany. Known as D-Day, this event is celebrated as a turning point in the war and a testament to the bravery and determination of the Allies. Clinton’s comparison of these historic acts of bravery to voting in an election has been met with widespread disapproval and resentment.
The reaction was swift and strong. A writer for RedState, Bonchie, criticized Clinton’s statement as “just pure evil,” accusing her of equating “the sacrifices of those who died to defeat Hitler and retake Europe with Democrats voting against Donald Trump.”
Dana Loesch, a radio host, took the critique further, slamming Clinton’s 2016 campaign tactics. “You attempted to undo everything they fought for by partnering with Fusion GPS to launder discredited opposition in the press and convert it into surveillance warrants on enemies through FISA,” Loesch stated.
Combat veteran and author, Sean Parnell, expressed his revulsion, saying, “It’s impossible to capture just how loathsome a comment this is. To cheapen what WWII heroes did to BS garbage politics makes me sick. Again, WWII veterans deserve so much better than this.”
The comment was also criticized by the conservative podcast host “Comfortably Smug,” who described it as something that could only have been conceived by a “shameless, broken, lizard person,” underlining the severe backlash the post has received.
The context of Clinton’s comments also includes President Joe Biden’s remarks on the importance of safeguarding democracy. While Biden did not specifically mention Trump, his D-Day speech emphasized the ongoing threats to democratic institutions.