REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein
No group has claimed responsibility for the violence, but Paris anti-terrorism officials have taken over the investigation, and pro-ISIS groups have been celebrating the attack.
"It's clear we are at war with these terrorist groups and what they represent," Clinton said on CNN. "It's a different kind of war, and we need to be smart about how we wage it and win it."
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper interjected, asking the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, "When you say we're at war, who are we at war with? Are we at worth with radical jihadists? Radical Islam? Who are we at war against?"
Clinton responded:
"We are at war against radical jihadists who use Islam to recruit and radicalize others in order to pursue their evil agenda."
"It's not so important what we call these people as to what we do about them," she added, referencing her opponent Donald Trump's repeated jabs at her and President Barack Obama for not using the phrase "radical Islamic terrorism."
Clinton also alluded to her approach to foreign policy with comments that resemble what she said after last month's deadly airport bombing in Istanbul.
"It reminds us very vividly and tragically that we have to stand with our allies and not abandon them," Clinton said. "And we have to strengthen our alliances, including with NATO, not undermine them."
Watch clips from the interview below:
"This is a horrific attack": Hillary Clinton reacts to the deadly attack in Nice, France https://t.co/YZ32bCBsdM https://t.co/zcQ6KaBRLh
Hillary Clinton to @andersoncooper: "We are at war against radical jihadist" https://t.co/YZ32bCBsdM https://t.co/cT7JaDgERM
- Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) July 15, 2016