Hillary Clinton's 'Empathy' Weaponized as Political Tool

Former Secretary of State's Atlantic essay reveals moral core of modern Democratic Party

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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In a recent 6,000-word essay in The Atlantic, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused the Trump-led GOP of waging "MAGA's War on Empathy." However, the piece reveals more about Clinton's own misunderstanding of empathy and her tendency to weaponize it as a political cudgel against her opponents.

Why it matters

Clinton's essay exposes the moral core of today's Democratic Party, which often uses empathy as a way to shame Americans into surrendering their liberty. The piece also highlights the left's blind spot when it comes to extending empathy across political lines, as surveys show liberals struggling more than conservatives to empathize with the other side.

The details

Clinton imagines that people who support deportations "delight" in suffering, when in reality many empathize with illegal immigrants but also recognize that unchecked immigration can tear a nation's social fabric. The essay also reveals Clinton's shallow understanding of Christian teachings, as she accuses "far-right" Christian leaders of discarding dignity, mercy and compassion, while ignoring the need to balance virtues.

  • Clinton's Atlantic essay was published on February 14, 2026.

The players

Hillary Clinton

Former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee who authored the Atlantic essay criticizing the Trump-led GOP's "war on empathy."

Donald Trump

Former U.S. President whom Clinton lost to in the 2016 election and who is a target of her criticism in the Atlantic essay.

Allie Beth Stuckey

BlazeTV host whose book "Toxic Empathy" is criticized by Clinton in the essay.

Rev. Mariann Budde

Episcopal bishop who used a post-inauguration service at Washington National Cathedral to lecture President Trump on compassion, which Clinton defends in the essay.

Pastor Joe Rigney

One of Clinton's targets in the essay, whose response to her piece was described as "excellent."

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What they’re saying

“We're not interested in social reconstruction; it's human reconstruction. ... But we also know that to be educated, the goal of it must be human liberation.”

— Hillary Clinton (Wellesley College commencement address, 1969)

“Empathy, the left's blind spot”

— Jeremy Carl, Author (theblaze.com)

The takeaway

Clinton's Atlantic essay does not actually defend empathy, but rather weaponizes it as a political tool to shame her opponents and advance a vision of "human liberation" that often conflicts with the long-term interests of the nation. This reveals a deeper moral flaw in the modern Democratic Party's approach to politics.