Alicia Machado, whose name was front and centre during the first U.S. presidential debate, returned to the spotlight Tuesday by introducing Hillary Clinton at a campaign stop in Florida.
The former Miss Universe says she fought off eating disorders for years after winning the pageant crown in 1996, the first year the contest was held under the stewardship of Donald Trump.
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Trump called “me ‘Miss Piggy’, ‘Miss Housekeeping’, ‘Miss Eating Machine’,” she told the crowd. “Soon it became a joke. Alicia Machado was a fat Miss Universe. It was really painful for me.”
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Clinton backed those sentiments when she took the stage.
“He said she put on some weight and it made him angry so he called her ‘Miss Piggy’,” the Democratic nominee said. He “called her ‘Miss Housekeeping’ because she’s a beautiful Latina.”
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Clinton also said Trump brought a bunch of reporters to a gym so they could watch the Republican nominee order the pageant winner around.
“He was cruel,” Machado said. “For years afterwards, I was sick, fighting back eating disorders.
“It’s really clear that he does not respect women.”
Machado came to the forefront of the election when Clinton mentioned her during the first US presidential debate.
“He called this woman ‘Miss Piggy’. Then he called her ‘Miss Housekeeping’ because she was Latina,” Clinton said during the debate.
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A day later Trump appeared on Fox and Friends, claiming her weight was a “real problem.”
“She was the winner, and she gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem. We had a real problem,” Trump said. “Not only that, her attitude. We had a real problem with her. Hillary went back into the years, and she found this girl. This was many years ago. She found the girl and talked about her like she was Mother Teresa. It wasn’t quite that way. That’s okay. Hillary has to do what she has to do.”
Trump didn’t stop there. He also went on a late night Twitter rant about Machado, claiming ‘Crooked Hillary’ helped Machado to become an American citizen so she could bring her up in the debate while also making disparaging remarks about the beauty queen’s sexual history.
Tuesday, Machado said she was caught off guard when Clinton mentioned her.
“I was at home with my mom and my daughter watching the first presidential debate when I was absolutely surprised to hear Hillary Clinton say my name.”
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