Bill Clinton Says He Wants to 'Put the Awful Legacy of the Last 8 Years Behind Us'

An aide for Hillary Clinton said the remarks were not about President Obama.

ByABC News
March 22, 2016, 8:12 AM

— -- At a campaign stop in Spokane, Washington, Bill Clinton raised eyebrows when he made an apparent jab at President Obama’s administration.

"If you believe we can all rise together, if you believe we've finally come to the point where we can put the awful legacy of the last eight years behind us and the seven years before that where we were practicing trickle-down economics with no regulation in Washington, which is what caused the crash, then you should vote for [Hillary],” the former president said on Monday.

Clinton continued: “Because she's the only person who basically has good ideas, will tell you how she's going to pay for them, can be commander-in-chief, and is a proven change maker with Republicans and Democrats and Independents alike."

A Clinton aide said the former president was “referring to the GOP's obstructionism” and not President Obama.

“After President Obama was elected, Republicans made it their number one goal to block him at every turn. That unprecedented obstruction these last eight years is their legacy,” said Bill Clinton spokesman Angel Urena. “And the American people should reject it by electing Hillary Clinton to build on President Obama's success so we can all grow and succeed together.”

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders pounced on Bill Clinton’s remarks, tweeting his dissatisfaction about the incident.

Bill Clinton regularly applauds the actions taken by the Obama administration, often making the argument that Obama has made economic strides following the Bush administration.

"President Clinton believes, and says frequently, that President Obama doesn't get the credit he deserves for setting us back on course for economic prosperity,” said Urena. “When Republicans controlled the White House, their trickle-down approach drove our economy to the brink of a collapse

In his second event of the day in Vancouver, Washington, Bill Clinton spent a large portion of his speech praising Obama saying, “He’s done a better job than many people give him credit for.”

Bill Clinton will continue campaigning for the former secretary of state, making his next campaign stop in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on Wednesday.