Hillary Clinton turned into a straphanger Thursday morning –- but she struggled to swipe a MetroCard after rapping rival Bernie Sanders for his outdated knowledge of the subway system.
“I’m proud to be a New Yorker. We don’t use a token on the subway,” she announced, mocking Sanders’ comments about needing a token to ride the rails.
“It was my first term when we changed from tokens to the MetroCard,” the former US senator from New York said about the changeover in 2003.
But MetroCard wasn’t kind to the Democratic front-runner, who needed five swipes to get past the turnstile at the 161st Street-Yankee Stadium station.
Accompanied on the No. 4 train to Woodlawn by a throng of Secret Service agents and members of the media, she chatted with other passengers, many of whom snapped photos of the grinning candidate.
View videoClinton was asked outside Yankee Stadium about Sanders’ comments that she’s unqualified for the presidency.
“I don’t know why he’s saying that but I will take Bernie Sanders over Donald Trump any day, so let’s keep our eye on what’s really at stake here,” she told reporters.
She took the opportunity to also take jabs at her Republican adversaries.
“Donald Trump or Ted Cruz are absolutely going to rip away the progress we made. Trump, with his insults of everyone, is trying to divide us instead of unifying us,” she said.
She was greeted by cheers and well-wishers at 170th Street.
“I bumped into this. I was coming back from work and I saw the commotion and I couldn’t wait to stop. I love Hillary,” said Myron Costa, 35, of The Bronx. “She’s for everybody, not just certain people, she’s for the entire world. She has the experience we need.”
Laki Pokygerinos, owner of Munch Time, said he agreed to close the diner so Clinton could be interviewed inside.
“She just got a tea. I was excited. … She’s cool, she’s a nice lady,” he said, though he was noncommittal about whether he’d vote for her.
“Let’s see who gets the nomination first,” he said.
Reactions to her subway ride on social media were markedly less enthusiastic.
“Hillary Clinton can’t get her MetroCard to work on NYC subway. I’m serious. OMG this is my life every day,” tweeted Micah Grimes.
Russel Horvath was apparently not impressed by her foray into mass transit.
“Unfortunately, she’ll take it directly to Goldman Sachs,” he wrote, sarcastically.
“Does Hillary even know what the subway is,” Rachelle tweeted.
Another user brought up a famous political race PR gaffe.
“You have to be kidding me Hillary Clinton is riding on the subway. Dukakis rides a tank,” tweeted Robert Weldon, referring to the infamous and widely mocked photo of Michael Dukakis riding an M1 Abrams tank as a presidential candidate in 1988.
“If this whole running for President thing doesn’t work, I’d watch a reality show called ‘Hillary Clinton rides the Subway,’” added Katie Chrystler.