Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton said Thursday that one reason the majority of Americans do not trust her is because she is not a natural politician and struggles to navigate through the political campaign process.
Clinton responded to criticism that she is dishonest and untrustworthy at a town hall in New York City aired on ABC’s Good Morning America.
One questioner at the town hall, a Clinton supporter from Philadelphia, told Clinton that her 20-year-old brother supports Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), Clinton's primary challenger, because he does not trust the former first lady.
"What would you say to change his mind?" the questioner asked.
"Look, I work really hard to do whatever job I’m given to do," Clinton said in response. "And I know I’m not a natural politician, and I know that it sometimes is more difficult to navigate through the politics and the campaigning than I wish it were."
Clinton went on to say that when she has a job like being a senator from New York or the secretary of state, people count on her, and she does her best "to deliver for them."
She argued that her resume is proof that she can be trusted, saying that President Obama chose her to be his secretary of state and New York voters elected her twice to the Senate because they trusted her.
"So I think it’s a difference between the give and take of politics because for whatever reason I do attract a lot of attacks, and I understand that," Clinton added. "I just think the best way for me to answer that is just to keep doing what I’m doing, which is to talk about what I have done and hopefully what I will do and hopefully win over your younger brother."
Host George Stephanopoulos then said to Clinton she has a problem going forward and pointed out that a majority of Americans think she is dishonest and untrustworthy, according to recent polling.
"What is behind it?" Stephanopoulos asked.
"George, I don’t know," Clinton responded, adding that she has been the subject of attacks for twenty-five years. "But I’m not saying it doesn’t affect how people think."
When asked how she can address her trust problem, Clinton said, "When I have a job, the Republicans actually say nice things about me and what a good job I do. And then as soon as I move toward being in an election, all bets are off, and you know, I’m attacked left and right. So I think there is, I’m sure, more that I can do, and I’m just going to do my best to try and break through that."
Clinton has been struggling to counter the belief among many Americans that she is dishonest since she started her bid for the White House last April.
The ongoing FBI investigation into whether Clinton mishandled classified information with her private email server and the controversy surrounding her role in the aftermath of the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attacks have contributed, in part, to her low poll numbers.