WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton nearly called rival Donald Trump her “husband” on Friday in an embarrassing slip-up that drew laughs from the crowd and Twitterverse.
The flub came as she addressed the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists in Washington, DC.
“I hope you will compare what I’m proposing to what my husb— . . . my opponent is talking about,” Clinton said, urging the reporters to scrutinize Trump more closely.
The correction, swift as it was, didn’t go unnoticed.
Audible laughs could be heard in the auditorium as Clinton came close to calling Trump her spouse.
In a rare Q&As with reporters after the speech, Clinton said she may have not told the whole truth in response to questions about the FBI investigation of her e-mails and Director James Comey’s comments afterward.
“I was pointing out in both of those instances, that the Director Comey had said that my answers in my FBI interview were truthful,” Clinton said, referring to two interviews in which she insisted she hadn’t lied about her private e-mail server.
“I may have short-circuited it, and for that I will try to clarify,” Clinton said Friday.
Critics quickly jumped on the “short-circuit” remark as further proof of her evasiveness.
While no charges were brought by the feds, Comey publicly stated that Clinton shared classified information in her private e-mails when she was secretary of state.
The Democratic presidential candidate also used her speech to promise immigration reform if she wins in November.
“We will be prepared to introduce legislation as quickly as we can do so,” she said, claiming that a big victory for Democrats in the election would “send a clear message to our Republican friends that it’s time for them to quit standing in the way of immigration reform.”
“There’s nothing like winning to change minds,” she added.
Trump has made his opposition to immigration reform a key issue in his candidacy.
One reporter used his question to urge Clinton — who hasn’t held a formal press conference since 2015 — to take questions more frequently.
“On behalf of all of us, we encourage you to do this more often with reporters across the country — especially those news organizations that travel the country with you everywhere you go,” said Ed O’Keefe of The Washington Post.
Clinton drew chuckles responding to a question asking her to detail a “meaningful conversation” she has had with an African-American friend.
Citing two black former chiefs of staff and others, Clinton responded: “I can’t compress into one conversation. They’ve supported me, they’ve chastised me, they’ve raised issues with me, they’ve tried to expand my musical tastes.”