Variety magazine backs Clinton in its first presidential endorsement

LOS ANGELES – Hillary Clinton can add another publication to her long list of endorsements. Variety has endorsed the Democratic presidential candidate, marking the first time the entertainment trade magazine has made a presidential endorsement in its 111-year history.

“We didn’t want to sit on the sidelines and come down on the wrong side of history,” explained co-editors-in-chiefs Claudia Eller and Andrew Wallenstein on why the magazine was bucking tradition.

Variety acknowledged Clinton’s experience, temperament and her public service record “fighting for the rights of women, children, families, the disabled, farmers, veterans, and the LGBTQ community” in making its endorsement and called her “not only the best candidate for the job, but the only candidate.”

The magazine also took a jab at her opponent, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, by pointing out that “she’s not ‘nasty’ – she’s tough and unafraid to smash barriers, whether it was negotiating strict sanctions against Iran, or brokering a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.”

Trump, arguably, became a household name because of the entertainment industry, from various cameo appearances in film and television to his years hosting 14 seasons of the reality show “The Apprentice.”

Variety did not pull any punches when it came to Trump, noting how his “run for the presidency can be viewed as nothing more than a ploy to land another TV deal or launch a new cable channel so he can continue spewing his sexist, racist views.”