During last night’s debate Hillary Clinton brought up a name that Donald Trump is very familiar with, Alicia Machado. Trump bullied the 1996 Miss Universe by calling her fat and even referring to her as “Miss Piggy.” This was after the Venezuelan beauty gained about 15 pounds, weighing around 130 pounds, which doesn’t sound like too much, but this gave Trump the leverage to cause her extreme pain and embarrassment.
“She gained a lot of weight. It was a real problem,” said Trump during the debate. “We had a real problem.” A problem he was focused on addressing in front of the media. He called Machado names, such as “Miss Piggy” and “Miss Housekeeping” and held press conferences so that the media could film her while she exercised.
“He was overwhelming. I was very scared of him. He would yell at me. He’d tell me. ‘You look ugly’ or ‘You look fat,’” said Machado. She was the first Miss Universe after Trump acquired the company and she did a lot of promotional campaigns for Trump, making him a lot of money. “By contract, I should’ve earned 10% on all the commercials and work I did. I was never paid.”
Trump saw her as joke or a publicity stunt, but it was a joke that caused her a lot of pain. She suffered from eating disorders because she would constantly worry about her weight. “I wouldn’t eat, and would still see myself as fat, because a powerful man had said so,” explains Machado. “He’s a man that doesn’t realize the damage that his words cause. He bears many grudges and harbors a deep racism.”
Now she feels strong and she’s an American citizen that is going to vote against Trump. “I think Donald Trump definitely lacks the ability, experience, preparation, and human qualities, to be president of the United States.” She’s seen here campaigning for Hillary Clinton.