Bill Clinton reveals Jesse Jackson 'prayed with' his daughter Chelsea during impeachment fight

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Former President Bill Clinton shared a personal story about civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson during his funeral service held on Friday, March 6. The service drew former US presidents, celebrities, and thousands of members of the public, all gathered to honor Jackson.

Jackson passed away last month after a battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurodegenerative disorder. He worked battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurodegenerative disorder. He worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr., ran twice for the Democratic presidential nomination, and founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a social justice and civil rights organization.

Jesse Jackson’s thoughtful call to Chelsea Clinton

Clinton recounted a poignant moment during his impeachment fight when Jackson reached out—not to him, but to his daughter, Chelsea Clinton. “I don’t think I’ve ever told anybody this,” Clinton said.

Clinton continued, “When the Congress was trying to run me out, and I was in that big impeachment fight, Jesse called me one night in the White House. I thought he was calling me. He said, ‘I don’t want to talk to you. I want you to go get Chelsea.’”

Clinton emphasized the extraordinary nature of Jackson’s gesture. “Now keep in mind, he’s got all this other stuff going on. He called me to talk to my daughter to make sure she had her head in the game.

He prayed with her on the phone. And you know, a lot of people, it would never even have occurred to them to do that.” Reflecting on Jackson’s character, Clinton noted that the civil rights leader reached out without knowing what the outcome of Clinton’s presidency would be, driven purely by care for Chelsea.

“He didn’t know if I was going to be president in six months. He didn’t know what was going to happen. But he liked Chelsea. I thought surely he had good taste,” Clinton said.

Bill Clinton reflects on Jesse Jackson’s legacy of compassion

Clinton urged those in attendance to reflect on Jackson’s example in their own lives. “Those are the things you remember,” he said.

He encouraged people to consider how they could emulate Jackson’s actions: “I can still be somebody. And what should I do? And how can I, with whatever speaking ability I have or don’t have, do what he did when he called Bill Clinton’s daughter in a crisis?”

Clinton highlighted Jackson’s consistent effort to lift others and act with compassion, sharing examples of Jackson asking friends to support others even “when their mothers were not famous."

Clinton described Jackson as a man who lived fully with both his head and his heart. “He was faithful to the scripture which said, ‘we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.’ But unlike a lot of people in politics, he didn’t go around looking down his nose at other people. He hated the sin and not the sinner. He was always trying to lift people up.”

Clinton concluded his remarks by emphasizing friendship and support. “I’m here more as a friend than a former president. He was my friend. That’s when I needed him. And I ask you to ask yourself how you can do more by being a better friend and a more effective one. God bless you.”