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Forty-eight years after she gave the commencement speech as a 21-year-old graduate at Wellesley College, Hillary Clinton returned to her alma mater to give the commencement address to the graduating class of 2017 on Friday. In her comments, Clinton did not hold back when it came to criticizing the current occupant of the White House, per The New York Times, calling the current political situation a con.

And Republicansthough now in control of three branches of government and in no way affected by Clinton anymorewent, predictably, crazy. Upon hearing Clintons speech, Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement Friday that Clintons speech was a stark reminder why [she] lost in 2016. She claimed that Clinton was lashing out with the same partisan talking points.

In her speech, Clinton compared 1969, the tumultuous year in which she graduatedwith the country deep in the thick of the Vietnam Warto the countrys current worrying political state. Without mentioning Donald Trumps name, she compared him to Richard Nixon, which is a parallel many have been making since the president fired former F.B.I. Director James Comey.

We were asking urgent questions about whether women, people of color, religious minorities, immigrants would ever be treated with dignity and respect, Clinton said. And by the way, we were furious about the past presidential election of a man whose presidency would eventually end in disgrace with his impeachment for obstruction of justice.

She went on to remind students of the specific challenges they are facing today, getting in her digs toward Washington where she could.

And heres what that means to you, the class of 2017. You are graduating at a time when there is a full-fledged assault on truth and reason . . . Drumming up rampant fear about undocumented immigrants, Muslims, minorities, the poor . . . And to top it off, it is shrouded in a trillion-dollar mathematical lie. Let's call it what it is. It's a con.

She finished her speech by encouraging students to break the rules of the game, and even alluded to her own challenges on the 2016 campaign trail:

They may even call you a nasty woman. Some may take a slightly more sophisticated approach and say your elite education means you are out of teach with real people. In other words, sit down and shut up. Now, in my experience, that's the last thing you should ever tell a Wellesley graduate.

Clintons speech, though it ends on an encouraging note, is also a clear sign that she does not intend to stay silent during this Republican era. As she made clear by launching political action organization Onward Together earlier this month, Clinton is planting herself firmly in the Trump resistance. Resist, persist, enlist has become her motto, which is only going to anger staunch anti-Hillary Republicans further.

As Rebecca Traister mentions in her New York magazine profile published Friday, Clinton is slowly moving on from her heartbreaking election year. Clinton herself is one of these awakened women, Traister writes, comparing the former presidential candidate to the millions of women fighting back at the current administration.

But it has taken some time for Clinton to reach this point in her election recovery. As she said in her speech, long walks in the woods and closet organizing has helped her build up her resilience to whatever vitriol the Republicans sling her way. And a little Chardonnay helped, too, she added. Take note, graduates. This is the Trump era; youll need all the liquid courage you can get.

Giving a keynote address during the 28th Annual Professional Business Women of California conference in San Francisco. (March 28, 2017)

Accepting the Champion for Girls award at the Girls Inc. New York Luncheon. (March 7, 2017)

Attending the Oscar de la Renta Forever Stamp dedication ceremony at Grand Central Terminal. (February 16, 2017)

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Giving a keynote address during the 28th Annual Professional Business Women of California conference in San Francisco. (March 28, 2017)

From A.P./Rex/Shutterstock.

Accepting the Champion for Girls award at the Girls Inc. New York Luncheon. (March 7, 2017)

By Mike Coppola/Getty Images.

Attending the Oscar de la Renta Forever Stamp dedication ceremony at Grand Central Terminal. (February 16, 2017)

By Janet Mayer/Splash News.

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Hillary Clinton Is Still Driving Republicans Crazy - Vanity Fair