Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump 'is a clear and present danger to America'

'I am saying he likes the idea of unaccountable, unchecked power', Ms Clinton said

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signs copies of her new book "What Happened" (Getty Images)

Hillary Clinton has said she believes that Donald Trump “is a clear and present danger to America”.

During an interview on the popular progressive podcast Pod Save America, Ms Clinton expressed concerns about the threats posed by Mr Trump and the right-wing agenda.

“I think Trump, left to his own devices, unchecked, would become even more authoritarian than he has tried to be,” Ms Clinton said.

The former US Secretary of State added: “When I say he [Trump] wants to be like Putin – I’m not saying will start killing journalists, but I am saying he likes the idea of unaccountable, unchecked power.”

Ms Clinton also lamented about how her policy proposals were “just not competitive with the reality TV show” provided by her election opponent.

“And we tried so many different ways to break through that,” Ms Clinton said. “And we did, of course, advertise what we saw as the threats that Trump posed to the country.”

She continued: “Because frankly, we thought — and I still believe — he’s a clear and present danger to America. And I would have been less than responsible if I didn’t talk about that. But we tried to do both, we tried to make the case for both, and I’d be the first to tell you, it was difficult to break through.”

After her surprising loss to Mr Trump in last year’s presidential race, Ms Clinton largely receded from public life. But in recent months, she has resurfaced, unabashedly expressing her thoughts on Mr Trump and the election.

Her book on the topic, titled What Happened, was released this week.

In another interview promoting her book, Ms Clinton declared that she is convinced Russia colluded with members of Mr Trump’s campaign team.

“There certainly was communication and there certainly was an understanding of some sort,” Ms Clinton told USA Today.

“Because there's no doubt in my mind that Putin wanted me to lose and wanted Trump to win,” she added. “And there's no doubt in my mind that there are a tangle of financial relationships between Trump and his operation with Russian money. And there's no doubt in my mind that the Trump campaign and other associates have worked really hard to hide their connections with Russians.”