US President Barack Obama says former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would be "an excellent president," one day after she announced her White House bid.
Hillary Clinton cast herself as a champion for everyday Americans on Sunday (April 12), kicking off her long-awaited second run for the White House with a vow to fight for a level playing field for those recovering from tough economic times.
Clinton, who begins the 2016 presidential race as the commanding Democratic front-runner, entered the fray with a flurry of video, email and social media announcements that indicated she had absorbed some of the lessons of her painful 2008 loss and would not take anything for granted this time.
When she lost the Democratic nominating battle to Barack Obama, her campaign was heavily criticized for conveying a sense of arrogance and entitlement, and for being out of touch with the party's progressive wing.
This time, the video launching her campaign portrayed her as a warmer, more empathetic figure and laid the groundwork for a more populist economic agenda.
Her roll-out included a sophisticated use of social media, including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube - a contrast to her last campaign that was seen as less adept than Obama's at using technology to convey messages.
In a tweet on April 12 night, Clinton said: "Road trip! Loaded the van and set off for IA." A campaign aide said Clinton left her home in Chappaqua, New York, for the drive to Iowa, where she will attend her first campaign events this week.
