Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton planned an aggressive push on a dozen policies for her first 100 days in the White House, including raising the minimum wage, investing in infrastructure, and reforming the nation's immigration system.
But following her stunning Electoral College defeat on November 8, the Democratic nominee faced her first truly retired days in decades — and the prospect of a wildly different presidency than the one she had promised.
After conceding to Donald Trump in a gracious speech, Clinton tried to lay low.
But she and a neighbor in New York, who said she was "heartbroken" after the election, had the same idea on November 10: A restorative hike in the Chappaqua woods. The resulting photo made headlines and offered her still-reeling supporters a glimpse of how Clinton was coping. To her millions of voters, viral images of her participating in the rituals of a normal life — more hikes, trips to the grocery and the book store — became a sign of resilience.
When she broke her post-election silence on November 17 with a speech at a Children's Defense Fund charity gala, those who hoped she might lend her platform to the anti-Trump movement were disappointed. Clinton emphasized bipartisanship and the importance of investing in that nation's children regardless of creed or color, but made no direct mention of the Republican candidate she had spent months excoriating as unfit for office — a rhetorical device she would follow in the months leading up to his inauguration and in the early days of his presidency.
Over the course of President Trump's tumultuous first 100 days, Clinton's apolitical appearances and speaking engagements where she championed longtime causes and reinforced values she promoted on the campaign trail gave way to a more frank approach. More recently, she has reasserted herself as a voice of Democratic resistance.
Here’s where we saw her, what she said, and where we can expect to see her next.
Day 1: Attending the inauguration
Clinton attended the inauguration alongside husband and former President Bill Clinton, as well as a luncheon where President Trump picked them both out of a crowd. She wore white, the symbolic color of women's suffrage.
Day 13: Plotting her next move in New York City
Clinton signed a book deal with Simon and Schuster for her seventh book on February 1. That night, she and her husband attended the Broadway a cappella musical "In Transit," a bit of a valentine to the city she represented in the Senate.
Day 19: Appealing to young women
"Despite all the challenges we face, I remain convinced that yes, the future is female," Clinton told a women innovator’s conference in a brief video address. "Just look at the amazing energy we saw last month as women organized a march that galvanized millions of people all over our country and across the world."
Day 20: Sticking up for Sen. Elizabeth Warren
After Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked Warren from speaking in opposition to Trump's pick for attorney general, Clinton embraced his inadvertent feminist rallying cry: “She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted...So must we all,” Clinton tweeted.
Day 21 and beyond: Resisting in 140 characters or less
Clinton embraced Trump's favorite social media platform on February 9, tweeting “3-0” after three judges unanimously halted Trump’s ban on the entry of residents from certain Muslim-majority nations.
In late February, on the same day Trump's administration rolled back protections for transgender students, Clinton commented on an editorial about Republican members of Congress ducking angry constituents.
In March, she threw shade as Trump faced stumbles and challenges in his first months in office.
Day 27: Dining with her "Saturday Night Live" impersonator
The same day Trump's labor secretary nominee was forced to withdraw,Clinton was spotted out to dinner with "SNL" star Kate McKinnon, whose impersonation of the former first lady took a poignant turn after the election. Clinton was then met with applause at the Broadway show "Sunset Boulevard," starring decorated actress Glenn Close as the faded but fierce star of the silent screen.
Day 42 and beyond: Speaking to students
Clinton addressed a closed-press private event at alma mater Wellesley College on March 2, the day newly minted Attorney General Jeff Sessions had to recuse himself from probes related to Russian meddling in the election, and at a Harvard event the next day. She will be Wellesley's commencement speaker in May, as well.
Day 43: Reading some interesting news
A picture of Clinton eyeing a headline on Vice President Mike Pence’s use of a private email account while serving as Indiana's governor went viral. Pence and Trump had repeatedly attacked Clinton for her use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.
Day 47, 48, and 57: Speaking to more women’s groups
On March 7, Clinton addressed a Girls Inc. luncheon and the next day, spoke at a leadership awards event for Vital Voices. Days later, she addressed a St. Patrick’s Day event for the Society of Irish Women, telling the crowd that she was “ready to come out of the woods,” a nod to her low profile in recent months and famous hiking photos.
Day 55: Still fielding calls to run for NYC mayor
Reports that Clinton was considering a bid for New York City mayor, a job currently held by former aide Bill de Blasio, had surfaced before Trump's inauguration and were revived in mid-March. But weeks later, when The New York Times' Nick Kristof asked if she would ever be "Mayor Clinton," she appeared to shut down the idea.
"I am looking at doing interesting things. I don't think that will include ever running for office again, as interesting as I find that to be, because I think you can have a big influence," she said.
Day 62: Gets her own whiskey vintage
As Trump's Supreme Court pick was undergoing a grilling in the Senate, a new women-owned Washington, D.C., distillery, Republic Restoratives, announced that it would release a limited batch of "Rodham Rye" — a blend of whiskies "that are stronger together than apart.” Clinton's namesake whiskey was originally intended to toast the first woman president, and the distillery's owners decided to go ahead with it in honor of her historic bid.
Day 68: Defending the women who confront Trump
In a speech, Clinton pushed back against “indignities” she said faced veteran White House reporter April Ryan, who was criticized and accused of bias by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, and California Rep. Maxine Walters, who was the subject of what Clinton called a “racist joke” from recently ousted Fox News host Bill O'Reilly.
"Too many women, especially women of color, have had a lifetime of practice taking precisely these kinds of indignities in stride,” she said. "But why should we have to? And any woman who thinks this couldn’t be directed at her is living in a dream world."
Day 78: Talking about why she lost
“As a person, I’m OK. As an American, I’m pretty worried,” Clinton said in early April during what was billed as her first public interview since her electoral college defeat.
The typically-careful speaker was blunt in her assessment of her lost election: “Certainly misogyny played a role,” she told Kristof, of The New York Times. “That just has to be admitted.”
Day 81: Modeling shoes for Katy Perry
Clinton appeared on pop star and former campaign surrogate Katy Perry's Instagram on April 10, modeling a pair of shoes the singer had named "The Hillary" in her new shoe line. The suede pump retails for $139 and sports a Lucite heel filled with "glistening stars and moons."
Day 83: Easing back into the political arena
When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo rolled out a free tuition program in the state, Clinton was there to support him. "We set out to do this nationally, but thrilled that New York is getting it done," she tweeted.
Day 87: Boosting the DNC
Clinton's campaign handed over her email list to the Democratic National Committee as an in-kind donation to the party, adding 10 million new names to their roster as they prepare for the upcoming midterm elections. Meanwhile, Trump declared that he wanted an investigation into the protesters who exercised their First Amendment rights on Tax Day.
Day 91: Talking LGBT rights
Clinton spoke at a fundraising dinner for the Center, an New York City LGBT community organization, where slammed Trump's record on LGBT issues.
"Each time this administration elevates an outspoken opponent of LGBT equality — sometimes in particularly cruel ways like replacing the first openly gay Secretary of the Army with someone who called being transgender a 'disease' — I picture all of the joyful, beaming couples that I've met across our country … who are so excited to get married, start a family, and begin their lives together," Clinton said, singling out Trump's choice of former flight surgeon Mark Green for the job.
