Bill Clinton declined to discuss his wife's presidential aspirations during a speech Tuesday, which could prove to be a common theme during her campaign.
According to Politico, the former president began his speech at Georgetown University by saying, "For obvious reasons I don't intend to talk much about electoral politics."
From there, the speech touched on the situations with Iran and the Islamic State (ISIS), his presidency that spanned eight years, and his family's foundation.
Clinton, reports Politico, mentioned his wife's name once — by saying before she left the family's foundation, she oversaw a project that released data showing disparities still exist between men and women.
The nation's 42nd president has said in recent months he intends to
stay largely in the background of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, which she made official with an announcement earlier this month.
"I think it's important, and Hillary does too, that she go out there as if she's never run for anything before and establish her connection with the voters," Clinton said in an interview in early April. "And that my role should primarily be as a backstage adviser to her until we get much, much closer to the election."
A
New York Times story that was published before Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy claimed the former president is too old and will not play a role in his wife's campaign.
The story characterized Clinton as "frail," saying "he looks older than his 68 years."
Privately,
Clinton took issue with the piece, calling it "creative writing" when talking to donors.
Hillary Clinton is the only Democrat in the presidential race at the moment, but others could join her relatively soon.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is reportedly mulling a run, as is
former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb.
A report Monday said
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is also considering tossing his hat into the Democrat's ring for the Oval Office.
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