Bill Clinton says the Obama legacy over the last eight years was 'awful'

Bill Clinton, stumping for his wife Hillary Clinton in Washington, slammed the Obama legacy over the last eight years as being “awful.” During a campaign appearance on Monday for his wife and the Democratic front-runner, the former president made the cutting remarks, which come ahead of Saturday's Washington state Democratic caucuses.

Writes USA Today on March 22: “It was not initially clear if it was an unintended gaffe or something he meant to say, but it didn’t take long for Republicans to seize on it and post the clip to YouTube.”

“If you believe we’ve finally come to the point where we can put the awful legacy of the last eight years behind us,” the 69-year-old Clinton said, “and the seven years before that when we were practicing trickle-down economics and no regulation in Washington, which is what caused the crash, then you should vote for her.”

When asked about the comment however, a Clinton spokesperson claimed the former President was referring only to “Republicans in Congress,” not his fellow Democrat President Obama.

“After President Obama was elected, Republicans made it their number one goal to block him at every turn,” spokesman Angel Urena said. “That unprecedented obstruction these last eight years is their legacy, 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.”

In response, the Republican National Committee said the comment “is about as off message as you can get” in an email to reporters, according to CNN Politics.

In February, Bill Clinton praised Obama for what he has been able to accomplish, despite Republican congressional opposition. “I think President Obama deserves a lot of credit for doing what he did with one hand tied behind his back because a lot of the people that elected him in 2008 didn't show up in 2010; that's our fault,” Clinton said.

While speaking in Washington this week, the 42nd president said Hillary is a “change maker.”

“I literally from the time I met her 45 years ago ‘til we talked yesterday, she is the best change-maker I have ever known,” Clinton said. “She always finds a way to make something good happen, to make people feel empowered, to buy people into the process, to make democracy work the way the framers intended for it to work.”

Hillary Clinton currently has a 300-plus delegate lead over Bernie Sanders.