Hillary Clinton on Tuesday said that any trade deal negotiated by the United States must grow American jobs and increase “prosperity,” indicating possible concerns about the Trans-Pacific Partnership being backed by the Obama administration.
“Any trade deal has to produce jobs and raise wages and increase prosperity and protect our security,” she told reporters in New Hampshire. “And we need to do our part to make sure we have the capacity and the skills to be competitive.”
President Barack Obama has been pushing for the trade agreement, but some progressive Democrats – including possible Clinton opponents Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley – have warned that the deal could be bad for American workers.
LINK: Trans Pacific Partnership: Five Things You Need to Know
Appearing at an event focused mainly on the community college system, Clinton also said that the U.S. must make “being middle class mean something again.”
“We need to really add prestige and distinction to the work we need done in America,” she said.
Last week, Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said that Clinton would be watching the trade negotiations, saying that "the goal is greater prosperity and security for American families, not trade for trade’s sake."
On Tuesday, Clinton also reiterated her pledge to get “unaccountable money” out of the American political system.
“It may take a constitutional amendment to once and for all say no to unaccountable corporate billionaire money flowing into our political system ,” she said. “We need to get back to one person – one vote.”
Clinton’s comments come amid questions about foreign contributions to the Clinton Foundation.
A new book called “Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich,” penned by Peter Schweizer, suggests that foreign entities that contributed to the Clinton Foundation received special treatment from the State Department when Hillary Clinton served at its helm.
On Monday, Clinton defended the organization and said that the attacks are politically motivated.
"We will be subjected to all kinds of distractions and attacks," she told reporters during a stop in Keene, NH. "I'm ready for that. I know that that comes, unfortunately, with the territory."
She did not answer reporters’ questions about the allegations on Tuesday.
