"Keep dancing": Hillary Clinton lends support to Finnish PM by sharing dancing picture of herself
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed support for Finland's Sanna Marin by sharing a photo of herself dancing, after the prime minister faced criticism over leaked footage showing her dancing and lip-syncing at a party with a group of friends.
Clinton's post included a photo of herself dancing in Cartagena, Colombia during a trip she took as secretary of State for the sixth Summit of the Americas.
"As [former Texas Gov.] Ann Richards said, "Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels," the tweet read. "Keep dancing," she urged Marin.
Her message quickly gained more than 180,000 likes, including from the Finnish leader herself, who thanked Clinton for her support.
Marin, who became the youngest prime minister in Finnish history when she was elected in 2019, has faced escalating pressure after someone shared private videos of her on the floor, dancing and singing toward the camera, with opponents questioning if she was on drugs.
"I consider these accusations to be very serious," Marin said Friday. "Though I consider the demand for a drug test unjust, for my own legal protection and to clear up any doubts, I have taken a drug test today, the results of which will come in about a week."
The test came back negative.
The story has prompted mixed reactions, with some opponents saying her public exposure and lack of professionalism is unbecoming for a world leader while others have argued that the criticism shows a double standard between men and women.
In Finland and all around the world, supporters and high-profile figures have posted dancing videos on social media to support the prime minister after the controversy.
European Parliament Member Tilly Metz shared a video of herself dancing to loud music at what appeared to be a club. "If you have a problem that a female politician is dancing with friends during her week-end, then YOU have a problem, not this politician," she wrote on Twitter. "We should even dance more, independently gender or age = better working afterwards. #RightToDisconnect #RightToDance #solidaritywithsanna."
Marin said she did not have work responsibilities the weekend she was at the party.
"We didn't have any government meetings during that weekend," she said at the news conference. "I had time off and spent it with my friends and family, and did nothing illegal."
