What one Fox News pundit ridiculed as a "pantsuit extravaganza" Monday played more like a "pantsuit bonanza" as Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined Hillary Clinton at a campaign rally in Ohio. If Warren ever had hesitations about Clinton as the standard-bearer of the Democratic party, those doubts have more than surrendered to the two women's shared mission: saving America from Donald Trump.
The chemistry between the two was palpable. Warren's folksy determination made a warm and inviting backdrop to the fighter in Hillary. While the Massachusetts senator assured the crowd that Hillary would be the next president because "she knows what it takes to beat a thin-skinned bully," Clinton reveled in Warren's ability to unnerve the GOP billionaire.
"I must say, I do just love to see how she gets under Donald Trump's thin skin," Clinton said, wielding an impish grin.
Pundits mostly loved the duo, though some suggested that Warren upstaged Clinton. If that was the case, Clinton didn't seem to mind the opening act one bit. In fact, Warren's introduction served to sharpen Clinton’s message, placing the emphasis solidly on the struggle of the American worker. The progressive senator ably used her own biography to connect with the values of Clinton’s middle-American upbringing in a Chicago suburb.
"My daddy sold fencing and carpeting," Warren explained. "I'm the daughter of a maintenance man, who made it all the way to the United States senate. And Hillary Clinton is the granddaughter of a factory worker who's going to make it all the way to the White House!"
Warren also brushed off Trump's pre-speech tweet that she was "goofy" with a well-needed reality check for the billionaire. "You want to see goofy? Look at him in that hat," she quipped of The Donald's favorite red accessory.
But maybe most importantly, she drew a sharp contrast between the presumptive Democratic nominee and a man who has made it his life's work to profit regardless of who suffers from his pursuits.
"What kind of a man roots for people to lose their jobs, to lose their homes, to lose their life's savings?" Warren posited. "I'll tell you what kind of a man. A small, insecure, money grubber who fights for no one but himself," she concluded as Clinton clapped along, nodding and smiling.
In fact, Hillary practically beamed under Warren’s shower of praise. Likewise, the senator seemed to genuinely relish the role—telling the crowd "I could do this all day" and repeatedly fist pumping the air in her excitement.
"Hillary has brains, she has guts, she has thick skin and steady hands, but most of all, she has a good heart. And that's what America needs!" she exclaimed. "And that's why I'm with her. Are you with her?" she prodded, raising her hands up like a football player inciting the crowd before a pivotal play.
When Warren turned the stage over to Clinton, the presumptive nominee eagerly returned the flattery.
"You just saw why she is considered so terrific, so formidable, because she tells it like it is," Clinton said of Warren. "I want to thank her for fighting every single day, for families like hers, families like yours, and millions of hard-working Americans who deserve to have more folks on their side!"
Despite the dynamic showing, many analysts have concluded that Clinton won’t tap Warren as her vice presidential pick for several reasons, not least of which being that Warren’s temporary replacement in the Senate would be named by a Republican governor. Perhaps, but Warren's performance Monday should certainly make team Clinton give her a serious second look. And even if she isn't tapped, Warren has clearly carved out a space for herself on the campaign trail. So prepare yourself for a lot more thin-skinned tweets from that "small, insecure, money grubber" we all know and love.