Trump attacks ex-beauty queen, alleges sex tape
WASHINGTON: The 2016 race for the White House just became X-rated, with Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, inviting critics and supporters to check out a “sex tape” he said featured a former Miss Universe who has accused him of treating her badly.
The nominee blasted out a string of tweets on Friday morning — the earliest, which was widely noted, time-stamped 3.20 am — criticising Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for bringing up the 1996 Miss Universe, Alicia Machado, at their first presidential debate.
“Did Crooked Hillary help disgusting (check out sex tape and past) Alicia M become a US citizen so she could use her in the debate?” Trump wrote in one of the tweets.
“Wow, Crooked Hillary was duped and used by my worst Miss U. Hillary floated her as an “angel” without checking her past, which is terrible!” he said in another tweet.
Trump is upset, but to point to a sex tape, which doesn’t exist? He cited no links or evidence, but he could be referring to what The New York Times called a “risque” video clip from a reality TV show.
Machado, who is Hispanic, won the Miss Universe title in 1996, just a few weeks after Trump bought the pageant. She has alleged he began calling her “Miss Piggy” when she put on weight and was generally disparaging about her. She has said he also called her “Miss Housekeeper”, in a derogatory reference to Latinas employed in the hospitality industry.
Clinton brought up these remarks at the debate, completely stumping the Republican nominee — who didn’t have a decent comeback and appeared to be still reeling from the impact — to parlay an old but effective attack line, accusing him of treating women badly.
Trump went on a tear next morning, defending his remarks in an interview on Fox, saying Machado’s weight gain was indeed problematic — “it was a real problem. We had a real problem”.
The former Miss Universe, who is now a political activist, doubled down on her allegations at a news conference hosted by the Clinton campaign later the same day, and added more. Trump always treated her like a “lesser thing, like garbage”, she said, and this election was like “a bad dream” back after 20 years.
As America entered Day Four, Friday, since the debate, Trump didn’t seem ready to let go of the issue of Machado either.
He reignited the controversy with his new tweets, much as he had done during his row with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, parents of a Muslim soldier killed in Iraq. Trump had kept refuelling the Khan controversy with one offensive remark after another while his closest aides and supporters cringed and his poll ratings dropped.