Embattled Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton rallied voters in Florida on Tuesday with the help of Alicia Machado, the former Miss Universe contestant from Venezuela who gained notoriety for accusing Donald Trump of calling her a “pig.”
Hillary Clinton being introduced at Florida rally by ex-Miss Universe contestant Alicia Machado.
— T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) November 1, 2016
Machado told Clinton supporters about the trauma she experienced dealing with Donald Trump, who owned the Miss Universe pageant when she won the competition in 1996.
Alicia Machado: "He told me that I looked ugly and that I was massive. He even called me names… It was really painful for me." pic.twitter.com/L0wGBlnEIh
— Ruby Cramer (@rubycramer) November 1, 2016
Hillary Clinton mentioned Machado’s name during the first presidential debate as an example of Donald Trump’s mistreatment of women. Machado, who recently became a United States citizen, said she plans to vote for Hillary.
Alicia Machado: "I could not be prouder to cast my first presidential vote for Hillary Clinton." https://t.co/D3c3CfOqhf
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 1, 2016
Further investigation into Machado’s past turned up evidence suggesting she had also may have appeared in pornographic videos, threatened to kill a judge in Venezuela who indicted her boyfriend on murder charges, and was romantically linked to a notorious Mexican drug trafficker.
However, it is a little odd for Donald Trump, who married a nude model himself, to scorn Machado for any déshabilée.
No, #AliciaMachado does not have a #sextape. But Alicia did pose nude for a magazine…
…just like your wife, Melania https://t.co/JMOyuhl2P5 pic.twitter.com/2SLZIA8FFQ
— CandaceTX (@CandaceTX) September 30, 2016
Trump doubled down on his alleged criticism of Machado after the debate, saying “she gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem.” He also encouraged everyone to “check out [her] sex tape”. No such tape has been uncovered.
Trump, deep in Twitter withdrawals wakes up at 3am screaming "Machado!!!" with hallucinations of Barron crawling across the ceiling
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) November 6, 2016
Clinton says in Fort Lauderdale that she is proud of Alicia Machado for not letting "such a small person" like Trump "get her down."
— Dan Merica (@danmericaCNN) November 2, 2016
Several observers noted on Twitter that Machado might not be the best surrogate for Hillary to deploy on the campaign trail.
Reminder: Alicia Machado is not the best surrogate https://t.co/JHVydFvWFc
— Elizabeth Harrington (@LizWFB) November 1, 2016
james franco, lena dunham, alicia machado…. people hillary clinton thinks america will like are utterly baffling to me.
— Erin Gloria Ryan (@morninggloria) November 1, 2016
Former celebrity James Franco — who plays a gay porn star murderer in his new movie — recently endorsed Hillary Clinton in a semi-nude video.
Watch a Half Nude James Franco Endorse Hillary Clinton https://t.co/9iwAQuM8PB (VIDEO) pic.twitter.com/FKO2vnueXb
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) November 1, 2016
Hillary’s campaign seemed unfazed by the criticism, and continued to promote Machado on Twitter. Donald Trump, meanwhile, “enjoyed” the endorsement of KKK leader David Duke.
https://twitter.com/DrDavidDuke/status/795135449060823044
"It’s really clear that he does not respect women. He just judges us on our looks.” —@MachadoOficial on Trump
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 1, 2016
Can we just stop and reflect on the absurdity of Donald Trump finding fault with Miss Universe? Who would act like this? A bully.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 1, 2016
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