Whether it's Ivanka Trump or Chelsea Clinton, the children of the presidential candidates have played an important role in this presidential race.

The past couple days, Chelsea Clinton has campaigned across North Carolina on behalf of her mother.

  • Chelsea Clinton campaigning for her mother
  • Says she has embraced her place in the spotlight
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The five-minute interview is available on our sister station's website.

Once shielded from the spotlight as a child, Clinton embraced it this summer. It was a moment in history as she introduced her mom, the first female nominee for president from a major party.

“Just the fact I got to share a little bit with America about why I’m so proud to be her daughter, and then welcome her onto that stage and all that signified for our country — candidly if you support her or not, just that now we’ve had a woman as a major party nominee for president was extraordinary. I get emotional even thinking about it now,” said Clinton.

The 36-year-old mother of two has grown to accept the public nature of her life: born when her dad was in his first term as Arkansas’ governor, raised as a teenager in the White House, and now, a top surrogate for her mom.

“Years ago, I realized that the spotlight wasn’t going away," she said. “My grandmother had this adage that just kept reverberating in my head that life’s not about what happens to you, it's about what you do with what happens to you. So I’ve tried to redirect the spotlight to things I really care about in my work with the foundation, my work more broadly in health, to being a passionate supporter of my mom as a daughter, and more importantly now as a mother and a voter." 

Despite the spotlight, Clinton says they have private moments as well, like family traditions.

“I wish people saw that side of my mom -- telling me as much as she loves me my stuffing is not as good as Pepperidge Farm, or helping me think about will Charlotte really be able to write a letter to Santa," she said. 

The grandchildren are mentioned often by Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail. This gives Chelsea a moment to reflect on her own upbringing.

“I didn’t know becoming a parent would give me the gift of seeing my parents as grandparents. Obviously I don’t remember what it was like to be a baby, so seeing them with Charlotte and Aiden, and how much they love my children and are interested in not only reading and singing to them, but helping to bathe them and feed them and clothe them means so much to me. It gives me a window into how much they clearly loved me from the day I was born."

But this past weekend, it was Chelsea who returned the favor when her mother was sick and needed help getting into a van.

“I didn’t see the video, but my mom did come over to my apartment afterward and I was just so grateful I got a chance to take care of her for a little while. She has taken care of me my whole life,” said Clinton.

Calling her mother “infatiguable,” Clinton says she doesn’t think she’s ever seen her that tired.

“I think the fact she didn’t even tell me and I talk to my mom every day and am fiercely close to her pretty much reveals she didn’t think it was a big deal and she could keep going. But even though she is a superwoman, she’s still human, so I’m glad she finally listened to her doctor and took a few days off. She’s excited to get back on the campaign trail tomorrow.”

We also asked Chelsea if she would run for office. Her short answer -- not right now, but she did leave the door open if she felt like she was not being represented and could do it better.