Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sparred with a Czech political leader Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, delivering a blunt rebuke of President Donald Trump while facing pushback from a European official who defended the administration.
Clinton appeared on a panel focused on the future of the West, where she sharply criticized Trump’s approach to Europe and global alliances. Her comments drew a direct response from Petr Macinka, a Czech deputy prime minister, who argued that Trump’s political rise reflected voter frustration with policies that had drifted away from everyday citizens.
“First, I think you really don’t like him,” Macinka said as he began responding to Clinton’s criticism of Trump.
“You know, that is absolutely true,” Clinton replied. “But not only do I not like him, but I don’t like what he’s actually doing to the United States and the world, and I think you should take a hard look at it if you think there is something good that will come of it.”
Macinka countered that Trump’s agenda represented a reaction to what he described as policies that had gone too far.
“Well, what Trump is doing in America, I think that it is a reaction. Reaction for some policies that really went too far, too far from the regular people,” Macinka said, as Clinton pressed him for specifics.
He cited the rise of “woke” ideologies, gender theories and cancel culture in the United States over recent years. Clinton responded by suggesting he was opposed to “women getting their rights,” drawing audible tension in the room.
Macinka pushed back, telling Clinton he could tell his remarks were making her “nervous.”
The exchange underscored the broader divide that has emerged between Trump-aligned conservatives and establishment figures across the Atlantic, particularly on cultural and social issues.
During the same discussion, Clinton addressed immigration policy in the United States and conceded that enforcement challenges had intensified in recent years.
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“It went too far, it’s been disruptive and destabilizing, and it needs to be fixed in a humane way with secure borders that don’t torture and kill people and how we’re going to have a strong family structure because it is at the base of civilization,” she said.
Clinton acknowledged that there are areas where physical barriers along the southern border are appropriate. However, she opposed large-scale expansion of a border wall during her 2016 presidential campaign and supported former President Barack Obama’s executive actions that deferred deportation for millions of immigrants in the country illegally.
At the time, she also advocated ending family detention and scaling back immigration raids, arguing they caused “unnecessary fear and disruption in communities,” while continuing the deportation of violent criminals.
The clash in Munich came as European leaders weigh Trump’s second-term posture on NATO spending, migration and trade, all of which have reshaped transatlantic relations. While Clinton warned that Trump’s policies risk destabilizing the global order, Macinka suggested they reflect a broader correction demanded by voters on both sides of the Atlantic.
The pointed exchange highlighted how Trump’s presidency continues to reverberate far beyond Washington, fueling debates not only about geopolitics but also about culture and sovereignty in Western democracies.
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