Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton drew controversy after saying MAGA “cult members” might need “formal deprogramming.”

For Context: In an interview with CNN’s (Lean Left bias) Christiane Amanpour, the former Democratic candidate pointed to a “sane part of the Republican caucus in the House,” but said they were “intimidated.” Clinton continued: “That’s the way it used to be. I mean, we had very strong partisans in both parties in the past, and we had very bitter battles over all kinds of things… But there wasn’t this little tail of extremism wagging the dog of the Republican Party as it is today, and sadly, so many of those extremists, those MAGA extremists, take their marching orders from Donald Trump, who has no credibility left by any measure. He’s only in it for himself. He’s now defending himself in civil actions and criminal actions, and when do they break with him?”

Key Quote: Then, Clinton added, “You know, because, at some point, you know, maybe there needs to be a formal deprogramming of the cult members. But something needs to happen.” When asked about “deprogramming,” Clinton said defeating Trump and his allies in elections was the solution. 

How the Media Covered It: Similar to coverage of President Joe Biden’s speech earlier this month, some coverage differed in framing the subject of Clinton’s remark. A Fox News (Right bias) headline said she floated deprogramming “Trump supporters” — which could include millions who voted for him in 2020. However, other outlets highlighted her exact “MAGA extremists” quote. Either way, it was not entirely clear who Clinton was discussing, specifically.