Hillary Clinton blames her election humiliation to Donald Trump on sexism
The former First Lady said she had been stunned by her loss, admitting she found it hard to get out of bed in the days after
HILLARY Clinton has slammed the "double standards" that women face, saying it cost her the election to Donald Trump.
The former Democratic presidential candidate said women faced "maddening" standards in public life - saying the only way to solve the problem was to get more women into politics.
Women, she said, were more heavily judged and criticised due to sexism - from their physical appearance to their beliefs - and generally disliked in positions of power rather than in supporting roles, she told the Cheltenham Literature Festival.
Speaking during a promotional tour for her new memoir, the former First Lady admitted she had been left stunned by her loss during the 2016 election.
She said: "Everybody gets knocked down. What matters obviously is whether you get yourself back up and keep going."
She told crowds at the Cheltenham Literature Festival that while she had struggled to get out of bed in the aftermath of the US presidential elections, she had been helped by long walks in the woods, reading mystery novels, playing with her dogs and yoga.
She further opened up about the election in her talk at Southbank Centre's London Literature Festival, saying that Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 elections were a "direct attack to American institutions".
She said: "We have really well-respected security and intelligence veterans saying this was a kind of cyber 9/11 in the sense that it was a direct attack to American institutions.
"That may sound dramatic but we know they tried to recruit into election systems, not just social media propaganda."
The 69-year-old also admitted she had struggled to attend Trump's inauguration in January but was supported by her husband Bill Clinton.
But she said her concerns as an American over the President's inflammatory statements about North Korea had since grown.
She said: "As a person I'm OK, as an American I'm worried."
While ruling out another shot at the top job, she said she was determined to stay involved in politics.
She said: "I'm trying to be purposeful, putting my energy into action on behalf of our values."
She went on to add: "I'm not leaving politics. I have a lot to say. I'll continue to say it. I'm not shutting up and sitting down."
The Cheltenham Literature Festival in southwest England, and established in 1949, is thought to be the oldest literature festival in the world and showcases poetry, cookery books and celebrity autobiographies.
MOST READ IN NEWS
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.