Just a few hours after officially kicking off her presidential campaign, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton already found herself in the position of having to defend her family fortune against staunch critics.
The wife of former US President Bill Clinton argued that voters only consider her wealth as "secondary," countering criticism that her actual fortune goes against the image she has been trying to portray as a champion of middle-class Americans.
In an interview with Fox News, Clinton noted her family's humble beginnings while devoting her entire professional career to helping average Americans.
"I'm grateful for the success that (my husband) Bill and I have had. We both came from hard-working families. We both have worked very hard," the former US senator explained on the campaign trail in New Hampshire.
"I don't think Americans are against success. Those of us who do have opportunities ought to be doing more to help other people do the same," she added.
Clinton issued the statement after Fox News Sunday asked her senior campaign manager about her recently making $250,000 for a one-hour speech as opposed to the $45,000 that an average American makes annually.
Mitt Romney, who lost his second US presidential campaign for the Republicans in 2012, is also complaining about Clinton's wealth in an interview with MSNBC.
"How can she get up there and sell a populist message when she makes in one hour a multiple of what the average American will make in a year?" Romney asked.
"I'm sure she'll become more effective as time goes on. But at this stage, what does she really believe? I think people wonder can they really trust Hillary Clinton?" he added, according to MSNBC.
Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have made hundreds of millions since leaving the White House from paid speeches—a fortune they have struggled to explain.
This made her, along with Republican Carly Fiorina, among the two wealthiest 2016 presidential candidates, making $30 million over speaking fees and book royalties since January 2014.
