Bill Clinton first entered the national spotlight as the Man from Hope, a man of humble southern roots who worked his way to the top and could feel the pain of real struggling Americans.
Now, he’s a massively wealthy former president, which is great for him, but also a potential burden for his wife, former senator and secretary of state and potential future presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, who is on a massive media tour to promote her new book.
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The tour took her to ABC News on Monday morning, where she was asked about all that money she and her husband have raked in over the last decade.
“We came out of the White House not only dead broke, but in debt,” Clinton said, a nod to the many legal fees that the Clintons had to pay for the various inquiries they faced during Bill Clinton’s eight years in office. “We had no money when we got there, and we struggled to, you know, piece together the resources for mortgages, for houses, for Chelsea’s education. You know, it was not easy.”
In the 13 years since, former President Clinton has become both a major philanthropist and investor, making over $100 million. Though she’s largely been in office, Hillary Clinton has also taken in some hefty cash, including charging huge fees for speeches.
Does that income make Clinton unable to connect with average Americans, the highly compensated television journalist Sawyer asked?
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“Bill has worked really hard — and it’s been amazing to me — he’s worked very hard,” Clinton said. “First of all, we had to pay off all our debts, which was, you know, he had to make double the money because of obviously taxes and then pay off the debts and get us houses and take care of family members.”
More of Sawyer’s interview with Clinton will air on ABC Nightly News on Monday.