About

But Her Emails refers to a catchphrase used during the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election by many conservatives who continuously brought up former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for sensitive communications. The phrase later evolved into a sarcastic response by liberals comparing incidents or scandals under Donald Trump's presidency. The phrase resurfaced in late March 2025 on Twitter / X as the Pete Hegseth texting war plans to Atlantic editor became a viral scandal topic about the leak of classified information about the bombings in Yemen against Houthi rebels.

Origin

The exact origin of the "but her emails" phrase is unknown. However, on August 12th, 2016, X^[1] user @BlueTeam007 tweeted one of the earliest mentions of the term, comparing media outlets they perceived as protecting Donald Trump and repeatedly referencing Hillary Clinton's email controversy.

On December 12th, 2016, X^[2] user @bryne posted a photoshopped image of a sign with the catchphrase "but her emails" in the middle of a flooded street (seen below), which gained more than 28,000 likes and 12,000 reposts in nine years.

Spread

The catchphrase became a satirical response by Clinton supporters over the following months and years, who often used "but her emails" whenever her opposition was involved in scandals or controversies.

For example, on September 10th, 2016, X^[3] user @samwhiteout posted a GIF reacting to a made-up debate with a Trump supporter (seen below), which received roughly 110 likes and 60 reposts in nine years.

Trump critics: Trump is racist & promotes violence. This must be addressed.Tump supporters: But her emails tho. pic.twitter.com/NR6LdXqNAY

— Sam White (@samwhiteout) September 10, 2016

On June 9th, 2023, Hillary Clinton posted a picture on X^[4] wearing a "But Her Emails" hat to promote a non-profit organization (seen below), which amassed over 26 million views and 82,000 likes in two years.

March 2025 Resurgence

The "but her emails" meme resurfaced in late March 2025 amid Pete Hegseth's war plans leak scandal, inspiring netizens to compare both incidents and mock the individuals responsible for including a journalist in a private group chat sharing classified military information.

For example, on March 24th, 2025, Redditor^[5] u/evissimus posted a screenshot of a tweet about the incident, writing, "but her emails," at the end as a mockery response, which received more than 32,000 upvotes and 910 comments in a day.

On the same day, X^[6] user @joshsorbe uploaded a photo of Hillary Clinton and a screenshot of Jeffrey Goldberg's article bout the leaked war plans scandal, writing “But her emails!!!” The post (seen below) amassed more than 117,000 views and 4,700 likes in a day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References