Hillary Clinton can’t figure out why there’s such a high level of partisan discontent in America, and why negative attacks are particularly aimed at her whenever she runs for a public office. But despite the negativity, Clinton said in an interview with Vox that her approval ratings are high once she’s on the job, despite her being one of the most polarizing candidates in recent history.
“It’s always amusing to me that when I have a job, I have really high approval ratings,” Clinton said. “I get reelected with 67% of the vote running for reelection in Senate. When I’m secretary of state, I have 66% approval rating,” she added.
Clinton said she believes there are a “number of factors,” but says “I’m not sure I totally understand it all.” The presumptive Democratic nominee says the media, particularly social media, “drives negativity.”
“It’s what captures eyeballs,” she said. “It’s what gets people to tune in or log in. It is just human nature.”
Clinton pointed to behavioral science, stating, “If you attack someone endlessly – even if none of what you say is true – the very fact of attacking that person raises doubts and creates a negative perspective.”
The former secretary of state says “all of the discredited negativity” comes out when she runs for public office, and that these attacks have simply become a part of the political climate. Clinton says the negative attacks are something she’s “learned to live with” and doesn’t “pay a lot of attention to.”
Despite the attacks against her, Clinton says she’s confident she can break through the negativity and win in November.
