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Bill Clinton, stumping in N.J., trashes Trump's 'great again' slogan

EWING, N.J. - As he stumped for Hillary Clinton on Friday, former President Bill Clinton threw a few jabs at Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump - by slogan, not by name.

Bill Clinton speaks at Passaic County Community College. He also spoke at the College of New Jersey in Ewing.
Bill Clinton speaks at Passaic County Community College. He also spoke at the College of New Jersey in Ewing.Read moreAP Photo/Julio Cortez

EWING, N.J. - As he stumped for Hillary Clinton on Friday, former President Bill Clinton threw a few jabs at Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump - by slogan, not by name.

Those looking to "make America great again," Clinton said, should "remember this: It wasn't so great for a lot of people, the way things once were."

At another point during his speech at the College of New Jersey, Clinton panned Trump's plan to build a wall on the Mexican border, jesting that the nation could build another to the north, and raise seawalls on our eastern and western coasts.

"San Bernardino," he said, pivoting to a serious tone before the audience of 1,600 people, "our latest terrorist incident, was because of people converted over the internet. America desperately needs its Muslims who love freedom and hate terror and want to be a part of this country."

Both Bill Clinton and the couple's daughter, Chelsea, were in New Jersey on Friday, holding separate events in the lead-up to the state's June 7 Democratic primary. As Hillary Clinton closes in on the nomination, needing just 143 delegates to clinch, New Jersey offers 142 delegates, to be awarded proportionately.

Polls show the former secretary of state topping Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders here - by as much as 28 points in a Monmouth University survey this month.

Her footing in the Garden State is solid and her political roots deep. She was backed by much of the state's party establishment eight years ago, and in the 1992 presidential race, Bill Clinton spent substantial time here, forging strong connections in the then-swing state.

This time around, Hillary Clinton, too, has picked up the endorsement of Democratic leadership, statewide and county by county. That gives her an advantage on the ballot due to New Jersey's unique grouped balloting, which lists the party's favored candidates in each county alongside local incumbents running for reelection.

Clinton is not just looking to win here, but to win big, said Patrick Murray, director of Monmouth's polling institute. "She wants to make sure she goes way over the top," he said, to leave "no question she deserves the nomination. It also sends a message to Bernie Sanders supporters: She won fair and square; it's time to move on."

Bill Clinton spoke on his wife's behalf before a backdrop of campaign and state-championship sports banners. He weaved for nearly an hour from topic to topic: tuition, solar power, the economy, manufacturing, wage inequality, Republicans in Congress, nuclear weapons, the Middle East, and much more.

At times in the warm gym, listeners seemed sleepy and distracted. Around the midpoint, some students decided to cut out early, walking down the creaky bleachers or through the crowd and out the back door - presumably, on a Friday afternoon, not on their way to class.

Some of Clinton's most compelling moments came toward his closing, when he put policy to the side. He called the diverse crowd "a rebuke to all those people who are afraid of our diversity" and said he would "give anything to be 20 years old."

"I would let any of you be president if I could be your age, just so I could see what's going to happen," he said.

Cathryn Clary of Princeton drove to see him because she's a fan, and has been since 1991, when she attended some of his campaign events here. Hillary Clinton's race hasn't stirred the same excitement for Clary, but she said Clinton nonetheless has her vote.

"She's so experienced. She's so confident. I have no doubt she'll do a great job," she said. "But she's not inspiring. That's all."

Waiting for the former president to arrive, nursing students Christine Pak and Alexa Sia, both 20, said they came because they know they have a lot to learn before they cast their first votes in a presidential primary.

"I haven't really caught up with the debate yet, politics in general. But I'm going to be a real person in two years," Pak said with a laugh. "So I really need to know what the future presidents have to offer."

Sia agreed, adding a bit sheepishly that she "has no idea what to look for in a candidate."

Both said they were undecided, but leaning toward Clinton.

tnadolny@phillynews.com 215-854-2730 @TriciaNadolny