7 Ways Hillary Clinton Is Getting Ready to Run for President
Don't be fooled by the coyness.
— -- While Hillary Clinton has played coy in public about whether she will run for president, she and her team have been gearing up behind the scenes for a likely presidential campaign, and now the former secretary of state is expected to be just days, if not moments, away from announcing her bid.
But running for president is no easy feat, and Clinton (who herself once admitted “you have to be a little crazy” to do it) knows so first-hand.
Over the past few months, Clinton has been steadily preparing for her transition into candidate life. From hiring staff, to hosting secret policy meetings, to tweeting strategically, here are the ways Clinton and her team have been gearing up for, and hinting at, her likely campaign for president.
1. Staffing Up
Since late last year, Clinton has been gradually staffing up for her campaign, building out a team of advisers, strategists and staffers to ensure things will be firmly in place for when she announces.
Among Clinton’s many new hires are former Obama advisers -- most notably John Podesta, who left his role at the White House earlier this year for a prominent role on her campaign -- and some of the Ready for Hillary staffers, too.
Many of Clinton’s new staff has moved to New York City, where the campaign will be headquartered, in just the past few weeks. They have been working as unpaid volunteers until the campaign officially kicks off.
2. Getting Fit
Clinton has been building up her stamina for the rigors of a campaign trail, taking on yoga and hiring a personal trainer, according to the New York Times.
But, she isn’t the only prospective candidate who has focused on getting in shape for their campaign. In 2008, Gov. Mike Huckabee took up running and weightlifting. In 2012, Mitt Romney would pull the skin off of his chicken before eating it. And even her potential rival, Jeb Bush, recently admitted he has been trying out the trendy paleo diet to slim down.
3. Weighing In
Clinton has also started to weigh in more frequently in political discussions. Over recent weeks, Clinton has increasingly used Twitter to voice her opinions on domestic and foreign policy issues.
4. Moving In
In one of the biggest hints yet that the former secretary of state will run for president, Clinton’s team officially signed a lease on a campaign headquarters in Brooklyn.
The site of the headquarters is 1 Pierrepont Plaza in the upscale neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights. The 19-story building is marketed on its website as “Modern offices. Brooklyn Cool.”
5. Asking Around
Clinton has been seeking advice beyond her inner-circle, too.
In December, Clinton’s spokesman acknowledged she had been holding meetings with a “variety of people on a range of specific topics, from policy ideas to what a successful campaign would look like.” And as first reported by The New York Times, Clinton has sought advice from more than 200 policy experts to help craft her campaign message and to answer central questions about what her economic plan should be.
6. Reading In
In addition, Clinton appears to be studying about the role of the president, and has been reading books about the Founding Fathers and the George Washington administration.
At an event last month, Clinton explained she was doing so to “remind” herself that government and politics “has always been hardball.” But, she lamented, in modern times, “We’ve lost relationship-building and consensus-building.”
7. Starting Anew
Through the years, Clinton has had a complicated relationship with the media. But, in one of her last public appearances last month before her expected announcement, she made an unexpected attempt to make amends.
“I am all about new beginnings. A new granddaughter, another new hairstyle, a new email account. So why not a new relationship with the press?” she asked. “So here goes: no more secrecy. No more zone of privacy. After all, what good did that do me?”