--- title: Chelsea Clinton Suggests What Bill Clinton May Be Called description: Chelsea Clinton is offering a new clue about her father might be called if Hillary Clinton wins the White House in November canonical: https://time.com/4428147/bill-clinton-first-lady-hillary-clinton/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-28T12:39:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-06T09:44:26.447Z article:section: Politics og:title: Chelsea Clinton Suggests What Bill Clinton May Be Called og:description: Chelsea Clinton is offering a new clue about her father might be called if Hillary Clinton wins the White House in November og:url: https://time.com/4428147/bill-clinton-first-lady-hillary-clinton/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt338b69c1bacf39d2/69889ff98e06011679466f16/bill-clinton-first-gentleman-hillary-clinton.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: bill clinton first gentleman hillary clinton og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Chelsea Clinton Suggests What Bill Clinton May Be Called twitter:description: Chelsea Clinton is offering a new clue about her father might be called if Hillary Clinton wins the White House in November twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt338b69c1bacf39d2/69889ff98e06011679466f16/bill-clinton-first-gentleman-hillary-clinton.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's What Chelsea Clinton Says Her Dad Wants to Be Called if Hillary Wins > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=0215a478-ed38-4d52-a3c5-aaf4b3326446&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Bill Clinton Praises Hillary as the Best ‘Change-Maker’ [Watch (HLS stream): Bill Clinton Praises Hillary as the Best ‘Change-Maker’](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/szORlNUt.m3u8) (2:45)  _Published 2016-07-27. Taking on the role of devoted political spouse, former President Bill Clinton declared his wife Hillary Clinton an impassioned “change-maker,” serving as character witness for her on the night she triumphantly became the first woman nominated._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jul 28, 2016 12:39 PM UTC Taking on the role of devoted political spouse, former President Bill Clinton declared his wife Hillary Clinton an impassioned “change-maker,” serving as character witness for her on the night she triumphantly became the first woman nominated.  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jul 28, 2016 12:39 PM UTC Since [Hillary Clinton](http://time.com/4424365/dnc-hillary-clinton-nomination/) entered the presidential race political observers have speculated on [what her husband Bill Clinton would be called](http://time.com/4102755/hillary-clinton-bill-clinton-election/) if he were to become the first male spouse to a U.S. president. Now, the couple’s daughter Chelsea is offering a new clue. “He likes to hearken back to his Irish roots so I think he would love to be called First Laddie,” Chelsea Clinton [joked on the TODAY show](https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/758629016773373953) Thursday, referring to an Irish and Scottish word for boy. Told by TODAY show host Matt Lauer that the name was unlikely to catch on, Clinton acknowledged that her “vote was for first gentleman.” ## Transcript [00:00] In the spring of 1971, I met a [00:05] girl. I went up to her and she said [00:10] she was gonna register for classes for the next term. I [00:14] said I'd go too, and we stood in line and talked, you [00:18] had to do that to register back then And [00:22] I thought I was doing pretty well til we got to the front [00:25] of the line and the registrar looked up and said, Bill, [00:28] what are you doing here? You registered this morning. [00:30] [ LAUGH ] [00:32] And I really hope that her choosing me and [00:38] rejecting my advice to pursue her own career Was a [00:42] decision she would never regret. She's insatiably [00:45] curious, she's a natural leader, she's a good organizer, [00:49] and she's the best darn change maker I've ever met in [00:51] my entire life. [ APPLAUSE ] Since she [00:55] went to Beijing in 1995 and said women's rights are [00:59] human rights and human rights are Women's rights. [01:00] [ APPLAUSE ] She worked to [01:05] empower women and girls around the world, and [01:10] to make the same exact declaration on behalf [01:14] of the LGBT community in America and around the [01:17] world. [ APPLAUSE ] How does this square with the [01:20] things That you heard at the Republican [01:27] convention. What's the difference in what I told you and [01:29] what they said? How do you square it? You can't. One [01:33] is real, the other is made up. You just have [01:38] to decide which is which my fellow Americans The [01:43] real one had done more positive change making [01:47] before she was 30 than many public officials do in a [01:50] life time in office. [ APPLAUSE ] Good for you because [01:55] earlier today you nominated the real woman. [02:01] If you love this country, you're working hard, you're [02:02] paying taxes, and you're obeying the law and you'd [02:05] like to become a citizen, you should choose [02:07] immigration reform over somebody that wants to send [02:09] you back. [ APPLAUSE ] [02:14] If you're a Muslim and [02:18] you love America and freedom and you hate terror [02:21] Stay here and help us win and make a future together. [02:23] [ APPLAUSE ] We want you. [ APPLAUSE ] The reason [02:27] you should elect her is that in the greatest country on [02:31] Earth, we have always been about tomorrow, [02:36] your children and grandchildren. We'll bless you [02:40] forever if you do. God bless you, thank you. 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