--- title: Hillary Clinton Apologizes for Nancy Reagan HIV/AIDS Praise description: Hillary Clinton apologized Friday for praising Nancy Reagan's work to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS at the funeral for the former first lady canonical: https://time.com/4256333/hillary-clinton-nancy-reagan-aids/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-11T21:54:58.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T15:50:53.784Z article:section: Politics og:title: Hillary Clinton Apologizes for Nancy Reagan HIV/AIDS Praise og:description: Hillary Clinton apologized Friday for praising Nancy Reagan's work to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS at the funeral for the former first lady og:url: https://time.com/4256333/hillary-clinton-nancy-reagan-aids/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt11371cebfbe238c6/69888ab3428a9e7226cd1c4f/hillary-clinton-nancy-reagan-funeral.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: https://time.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=4256333&action=edit og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Hillary Clinton Apologizes for Nancy Reagan HIV/AIDS Praise twitter:description: Hillary Clinton apologized Friday for praising Nancy Reagan's work to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS at the funeral for the former first lady twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt11371cebfbe238c6/69888ab3428a9e7226cd1c4f/hillary-clinton-nancy-reagan-funeral.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Hillary Clinton Walks Back Praise of Reagans' AIDS Response  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Mar 11, 2016 9:54 PM UTC  Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton follows the casket during funeral and burial services for former first lady Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton follows the casket during funeral and burial services for former first lady Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif.David McNew—2016 Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Mar 11, 2016 9:54 PM UTC Hillary Clinton apologized Friday for praising Ronald and Nancy Reagan’s work to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS on the day of the former first lady’s funeral. “While the Reagans were strong advocates for stem cell research and finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, I misspoke about their record on HIV and AIDS,” Clinton [said on Twitter](https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/708403247795539968). “For that, I’m sorry.” Clinton had previously said in an [interview](https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/708363242737766401) that the Reagans deserved credit for starting a “national conversation” on AIDS. In reality, the Reagan administration did not address the issue until years after the AIDS became a national epidemic and killed thousands of people—primarily gay men. Although some historians have suggested that Nancy Reagan may have been a [relatively progressive voice](http://www.vox.com/2016/3/11/11208192/hillary-clinton-nancy-reagan-aids) in her husband’s administration on HIV/AIDS, some activists feel the Reagans were complicit in the scale of the crisis. Columnist and podcaster Dan Savage, a prominent champion of gay rights and a Clinton supporter, [wrote in an blog](https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016/03/11/23698621/hillary-clinton-the-reagans-particularly-nancy-helped-start-a-national-conversation-about-hiv-and-aids) that “there are no words for the pain Clinton’s remarks have dredged up.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4256333/hillary-clinton-nancy-reagan-aids/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4256333/hillary-clinton-nancy-reagan-aids/"},"headline":"Hillary Clinton Walks Back Praise of Reagans' AIDS Response","datePublished":"2016-03-11T21:54:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T15:50:53.784Z","description":"'I misspoke about their record on HIV and AIDS. 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