In his first campaign event of the midterms, the former president criticized Trump’s treatment of allies and immigration enforcement.
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Former President Bill Clinton said Tuesday he is tired of divisive politics as he campaigned in Florida for Democratic governor nominee David Jolly. It was Clinton’s first public campaign event of the 2026 midterm cycle, held at the Koinonia Worship Center in Broward County.
Clinton, 80, said he is “tired of this constant us versus them.” He said politicians have told him with a straight face that campaigns should define an enemy because fear and anger are stronger than hope and love. He said he is also tired of politicians picking fights while voters worry about grocery prices.
He criticized President Donald Trump’s treatment of US allies, saying he was tired of treating them “like dirt.” Clinton called Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney a longtime friend and one of the most well-qualified leaders in the world, and he said it was gall to suggest Canada become the 51st state. Clinton also said Trump had, in the past week, moved to abandon Ukraine and embrace Russian President Vladimir Putin. He did not give details, and Aurax News has not independently verified the claim.
On immigration, Clinton said Trump had turned Immigration and Customs Enforcement from an agency meant to help patrol the border into a group that goes into communities to stir people up and remove them. He mocked the idea that Republicans in Florida would gain votes by deporting Cubans and said he won 44 percent of the Cuban vote as president, the highest share since John F. Kennedy. That figure is Clinton’s claim.
Clinton also said he is tired of people denigrating Muslims for being Muslims. He said his daughter, Chelsea, read the Quran at 15 and told him to read it, and he recounted a passage about different peoples being placed on earth to know one another rather than to despise one another. He added that bad actors exist in every faith because people are flawed.
He closed with a line that the Floridian and other outlets highlighted: “There is a big difference between being tired and being through.” Clinton called Jolly’s choice of former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham as his running mate brilliant and said voters should give Jolly a chance. Jolly, a former Republican congressman who joined the Democratic Party in 2025, told reporters his campaign has argued for 18 months that Florida is in play. The Floridian called the race the state’s first toss-up for governor in eight years.
This report draws on a transcript of Clinton’s remarks and reports from The Floridian, Al Jazeera, LA NACION and The Daily Wire.
