On her 12 p.m. ET hour MSNBC show on Friday, anchor Andrea Mitchell interviewed Margot Gerster – a Hillary Clinton supporter who met the defeated Democratic nominee on a hiking trail in New York – and eagerly wondered: “What insights did you glean about her demeanor, her mood? And you know, we all want to know how she's holding up.”
Gerster gushed: “...she seemed as well as can be expected. You know, I don't know how she was feeling on the inside, obviously. But you know, considering how kind she was to me, you know, it seemed like she was really, you know, handling it as well as anybody could possibly handle something like that.”
Mitchell followed up: “Did you ask her how she's doing and express something of your own thoughts?” Gerster replied: “I told her, you know, that I watched her concession speech and I was incredibly moved by it and I was very proud to take my daughter with me to vote for her. And I think she appreciated that a lot and she hugged me, which, you know, was amazing.”
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Turning to White House correspondent Kristen Welker, Mitchell offered this fawning assessment: “Kristen, what a moment. And it certainly reflects what we saw in Hillary Clinton, the resilience, the grit. And certainly the fact that all of us saw that speech that she gave. And she is able to move on, as tough as this is.”
Welker proclaimed: “What a moment, indeed, Andrea. And I kept thinking, looking at that photo, which I think spoke a thousand words, that it was a sign to all of her supporters – even though she didn't plan it and this just happened – but it was a sign to her supporters that she is going to be okay and that it’s okay to move forward from here.”
She went on to predict that Clinton would remain outspoken in politics for years to come:
But undoubtedly I think that folks will hear from her again. She’s going to keep talking about the issues that she talked about on the campaign trail and will probably, at various moments when she feels appropriate, speak out and engage in the political debate, whatever it may be, or foreign policy debate, whatever it may be. She obviously has very strong opinions about all of it. And I think right now trying to work with her team to figure what does come next for her.
Here is a full transcript of the November 11 segment:
12:18 PM ET
ANDREA MITCHELL: Hillary Clinton now settling into a post-campaign life, finding some peace and quiet on a different kind of trail. Hiking near her home in Chappaqua, New York, a fellow hiker spotted Clinton yesterday and got this photo with her. The man behind the camera? Former President Bill Clinton. Margot Gerster is the woman who spotted Clinton on that hike and joins me now by phone. Margot, thank you very much for joining us. I know your 13-month-old is napping so we couldn't get you to come in. But we appreciate you joining us by phone. Tell me what – first of all, your level of surprise when you came face to face, presumably, with Hillary and Bill Clinton?
MARGOT GERSTER: Definitely on a scale of 1 to 10, it was definitely a 10. Because, I mean, it was two days after the election, so the last person you expect to see in the middle of the woods is Bill and Hillary Clinton. So it was pretty outrageous.
MITCHELL: And did you approach her? I mean, tell me what transpired.
GERSTER: I mean, it was sort of unavoidable because I was coming out and she was coming in, so we were – we were crossing paths regardless. So, yeah, I mean, as soon as I saw her it was, I mean, I'm sure she saw the look of shock on my face. And you know, like I’ve been saying, you know, since I posted it, she was so gracious, and you know, seemed more than happy to talk. So, yeah.
MITCHELL: What insights did you glean about her demeanor, her mood? And you know, we all want to know how she's holding up.
GERSTER: Yeah, you know, a lot of people obviously are very interested. You know, like I’ve been saying, she seemed as well as can be expected. You know, I don't know how she was feeling on the inside, obviously. But you know, considering how kind she was to me, you know, it seemed like she was really, you know, handling it as well as anybody could possibly handle something like that.
MITCHELL: Did you ask her how she's doing and express something of your own thoughts?
GERSTER: You know, she was taking a nice, peaceful walk in woods with her husband and her dog, so you know, I wasn't going to delve too deep into, you know, emotion and politics. You know, I just – I told her, you know, that I watched her concession speech and I was incredibly moved by it and I was very proud to take my daughter with me to vote for her. And I think she appreciated that a lot and she hugged me, which, you know, was amazing. That was really the deepest we went in terms of her mood.
MITCHELL: And how did the former president end up behind the camera?
GERSTER: I think he is probably still used to taking pictures on people's cell phones. You know, I obviously took, you know, advantage of the situation and I asked if she would mind and she was more than gracious about it. And he sort of just, you know, at first she was like, “Oh, we'll take a selfie and then he sort of offered, which was really sweet. I do kind of wish I had asked one of the Secret Service men to take the picture so that he could also be in the picture. But you know, coulda, woulda, shoulda.
MITCHELL: Well, this is a picture that you and your daughter are going to remember a very long time. It’s quite a momento. And we appreciate you sharing your experience with us. So thank you so much.
GERSTER: No problem. Thank you so much.
MITCHELL: And NBC’s Kristen Welker, who was on a different kind of campaign trail with Hillary Clinton, and me, for the last 18 months, joins us now from the White House. Kristen, what a moment. And it certainly reflects what we saw in Hillary Clinton, the resilience, the grit. And certainly the fact that all of us saw that speech that she gave. And she is able to move on, as tough as this is.
KRISTEN WELKER: What a moment, indeed, Andrea. And I kept thinking, looking at that photo, which I think spoke a thousand words, that it was a sign to all of her supporters – even though she didn't plan it and this just happened – but it was a sign to her supporters that she is going to be okay and that it’s okay to move forward from here. And you saw that obviously reflected in her concession speech as well.
But look, Andrea – and you’ve had these conversations with her top staffers – they felt as though the world was on their shoulders. I think she took this loss very personally because she, when she was running, made this a choice between someone who she would have argued was highly qualified and someone who wasn't necessarily ready to take control of the country. So I think that's part of why the devastation was so deep for her and her team.
I also think, though, what you heard in that concession speech, she said, “We’ve to keep fighting.” So I think she's probably trying to figure out what comes next. But undoubtedly I think that folks will hear from her again. She’s going to keep talking about the issues that she talked about on the campaign trail and will probably, at various moments when she feels appropriate, speak out and engage in the political debate, whatever it may be, or foreign policy debate, whatever it may be. She obviously has very strong opinions about all of it. And I think right now trying to work with her team to figure what does come next for her.
MITCHELL: And the other thing that was so striking, and you, you know, have a foot in both worlds, is the pictures – well, what we experienced, I was there on the rope line there in New York and the devastation among her top aides and all of the young people who worked for her. Their eyes, you know, just red from weeping all night. And then the still photos that came of White House that day of all of the President's aides watching with such sad faces. So there’s a lot going on in the building behind you right now, too.
WELKER: That continues, I can tell you. I was here late last night talking to some staffers who are deeply, deeply concerned, Andrea, that everything that they’ve just worked for, for the past eight years, is going to be overturned and undone in short order.But one staffer said that they were feeling a little bit better. That they’d had some time to reflect, that the President's words, the President’s message the fact that he has talked so much about the importance of a peaceful transition. And there’s also a sense that, will this galvanize Democrats and make them more energized and more focused on the next election and on the midterm election?
Look, what's striking about this moment, Andrea, is that this is really, from a political perspective, the weakest position that Democrats have found themselves in, in eight years. When President Obama took office in 2008, they were on the other side of this coin. And they how difficult it is, even when you have control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, to get something big legislatively accomplished. So they underscore the fact we still have a system of checks and balances here, but they are hopeful that it will energize Democrats, particularly as they look toward the midterm elections now. But having said all of that, you can still see in their faces that there's been a lot of crying, a lot of tears, a lot of concern here at the White House, Andrea.
MITCHELL: Kristen Welker, our White House correspondent, thank you so much.
