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Hillary Clinton will tout national security and American exceptionalism in her speech to veterans

Posted at 9:24 AM, Aug 31, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-31 12:54:38-04

When Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks to veterans in Cincinnati on Wednesday, she is expected to make the case that America needs to stay a strong world leader and maintain key alliances.

Clinton began speaking to the American Legion Convention at 12:30 p.m. and warned the crowd about the dangers of a possible Donald Trump presidency. The Republican nominee will speak at the convention on Thursday morning.

Moments before Clinton took the stage, the Trump campaign released critical comments from three Republican Ohio lawmakers and veterans.

“Promoting Hillary Clinton to Commander in Chief is unfathomable to me. We witnessed Hillary’s foreign policy prowess during her time as Secretary of State and it was an absolute disaster,” Congressman Warren Davidson, a U.S. Army veteran from Troy, said in a statement. 

“Hillary Clinton has shown behavior unworthy to serve as Commander-in-Chief by exposing our nation’s secrets to our enemies as Secretary of State,” said Congressman Brad Wenstrup, U.S. Army veteran from Cincinnati.

Here are five things to expect from Clinton’s speech:

  • Clinton will make the case for American exceptionalism. She will argue to keep military and diplomatic leadership in the world, and its longstanding alliances, according to campaign officials. She will likely continue her “steady hand” mantra and focus on her experience as secretary of state to bolster support with veterans, said Joe Valenzano, chair of University of Dayton’s communications department and an expert on campaign rhetoric. 
  • She will deliver a strong warning to veterans that, if elected, Trump “would walk away from allies, undermine our values, insult our military,” according to campaign officials. She will cite the letter signed by 50 Republican national security officials who warned that Trump could put national security at risk. David Niven, University of Cincinnati political science professor, expects Clinton will lean heavily on these military and national security figures throughout the speech. “Clinton will no doubt portray Trump as not only unqualified to lead the nation and the military, but also a danger to our nation’s wellbeing,” he said.
  • She will try to appeal to veterans by relaying her own experience as the daughter of a World War II veteran. Veterans will no doubt want to hear what she has done for them in the past – what legislation she has sponsored, or what volunteer service she has done to help them. “Has she done anything for veterans before? Is this lip service, or has she actually done these things?” said former Democratic Ohio state representative Connie Pillich, who is a U.S. Air Force veteran and an American Legion member who supports Clinton.
  • The top issues that Pillich says veterans hope Clinton talks about are quality healthcare and finding jobs for unemployed veterans. “The top of the list is quality care,” Pillich said. “We want to hear what her plans are for the VA system itself.”
  • Experts predict Clinton will repeat the attacks Trump has made on Arizona Sen. John McCain’s heroism as prisoner of war, and his hostility toward the parents of a slain Muslim U.S. Army captain. She is also expected to criticize Trump for his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin.