By — Daniel Bush Daniel Bush Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/clinton-says-shell-be-the-nominee Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Clinton says she’ll ‘be the nominee’ Politics May 19, 2016 3:10 PM EDT Hillary Clinton on Thursday said that she “will be the nominee” of the Democratic Party, her most direct prediction to date on the outcome of her still-simmering primary battle with Bernie Sanders. In an interview on CNN, Clinton issued an unusually blunt analysis of the primaries, saying she would defeat Sanders and clinch the Democratic presidential nomination this summer. “I will be the nominee for my party,” Clinton said. “I will be the nominee for my party…that is already done.” @HillaryClinton declares https://t.co/cXFPrQE5C7 https://t.co/kEyOzvZcmA — The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) May 19, 2016 Clinton is widely expected to beat Sanders, who began as a long-shot White House contender last year but has built a surprisingly strong candidacy in recent months. Clinton needs less than 100 delegates to secure the nomination, and could reach the figure by early next month. Still, her prediction on Thursday grabbed headlines because Clinton has been reluctant in the past to alienate Sanders’ network of mostly young and liberal supporters. The former Secretary of State will need Sanders voters on her side in a general election matchup against Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican Party nominee. Clinton’s comments could signal a tougher approach to Sanders as the primary season winds down. The Vermont senator has pledged to take his campaign all the way to the Democratic National Convention in July, a move that has angered Clinton allies and party leaders who want Clinton to focus on Trump. The ongoing battle with Sanders has effectively forced Clinton to run against two opponents at once, something her campaign had been hoping to avoid. In the CNN interview, Clinton took a direct shot at Trump as well, saying “he is not qualified to be president of the United States.” Hillary Clinton: Donald Trump is not qualified to be president https://t.co/5tA1ZpK1Tb https://t.co/2iGeGjaCkK — CNN (@CNN) May 19, 2016 Clinton decried Trump’s “irresponsible, reckless dangerous comments.” “Based on the way he has behaved and how he has spoken and the policies he has thrown out there, I think it adds up to a very troubling picture,” she said. The interview came two days after the final Democratic primary contests in May. Sanders carried Oregon on Tuesday, while Clinton appeared to win Kentucky by a narrow margin. SUBSCRIBE: Get the analysis of Mark Shields and David Brooks delivered to your inbox every week. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Daniel Bush Daniel Bush Daniel Bush is PBS NewsHour's Senior Political Reporter. @DanielBush
Hillary Clinton on Thursday said that she “will be the nominee” of the Democratic Party, her most direct prediction to date on the outcome of her still-simmering primary battle with Bernie Sanders. In an interview on CNN, Clinton issued an unusually blunt analysis of the primaries, saying she would defeat Sanders and clinch the Democratic presidential nomination this summer. “I will be the nominee for my party,” Clinton said. “I will be the nominee for my party…that is already done.” @HillaryClinton declares https://t.co/cXFPrQE5C7 https://t.co/kEyOzvZcmA — The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) May 19, 2016 Clinton is widely expected to beat Sanders, who began as a long-shot White House contender last year but has built a surprisingly strong candidacy in recent months. Clinton needs less than 100 delegates to secure the nomination, and could reach the figure by early next month. Still, her prediction on Thursday grabbed headlines because Clinton has been reluctant in the past to alienate Sanders’ network of mostly young and liberal supporters. The former Secretary of State will need Sanders voters on her side in a general election matchup against Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican Party nominee. Clinton’s comments could signal a tougher approach to Sanders as the primary season winds down. The Vermont senator has pledged to take his campaign all the way to the Democratic National Convention in July, a move that has angered Clinton allies and party leaders who want Clinton to focus on Trump. The ongoing battle with Sanders has effectively forced Clinton to run against two opponents at once, something her campaign had been hoping to avoid. In the CNN interview, Clinton took a direct shot at Trump as well, saying “he is not qualified to be president of the United States.” Hillary Clinton: Donald Trump is not qualified to be president https://t.co/5tA1ZpK1Tb https://t.co/2iGeGjaCkK — CNN (@CNN) May 19, 2016 Clinton decried Trump’s “irresponsible, reckless dangerous comments.” “Based on the way he has behaved and how he has spoken and the policies he has thrown out there, I think it adds up to a very troubling picture,” she said. The interview came two days after the final Democratic primary contests in May. Sanders carried Oregon on Tuesday, while Clinton appeared to win Kentucky by a narrow margin. SUBSCRIBE: Get the analysis of Mark Shields and David Brooks delivered to your inbox every week. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now