ABC News(NEW YORK) — Donald Trump pushed back against criticism he received from Hillary Clinton during Monday night’s debate regarding his treatment of former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, saying “she gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem.”
Trump made his remarks on Fox and Friends Tuesday morning in response to Clinton pointing out that Trump called Machado “Miss Piggy” while berating the Republican nominee’s overall treatment of women.
“She was the winner, and, you know, she gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem,” Trump said of Machado. “We had a real problem. Not only that, her attitude, and we had a real problem with her.”
Trump spoke about Machado’s appearance Tuesday while answering a question about whether or not Clinton had gotten under his skin. He said that she hadn’t done so, and went on to describe Machado as “the worst we ever had,” a reference to Miss Universe winners.
Machado, while representing Venezuela, competed and won Miss Universe in 1996 when she was 19 years old. She gained weight after winning the competition, and accused Trump of humiliating her based upon her appearance shortly thereafter.
“Donald, she has a name. Her name is Alicia Machado,” Clinton said Monday night, referring to Machado. “And she has become a U.S. citizen and you can bet she is going to vote this November.”
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