Less than 12 hours after being criticized for calling out a former Miss Universe about her weight, Donald Trump is doubling down on his body-shaming statements.
The GOP nominee was put on blast during the first presidential debate Monday, when Hillary Clinton brought up his past attacks against former Miss Universe Alicia Machado.
"He called this woman 'Miss Piggy,'" Clinton said, referring to comments Trump made in the 1990s. "Then he called her 'Miss Housekeeping' because she was Latina."
In the moment, Trump pushed back, asking, "Where did you find her?" But Tuesday morning, he launched a new round of attacks. In a phone interview on Fox & Friends, he called Machado "the absolute worst."
"She gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem," he said. "We had a real problem. Not only that, her attitude, and we had a real problem with her."
Body shaming is never okay. And we're willing to wager that Trump's repeated attacks on weight probably won't help him improve his standing with female voters. A recent New York Times/CBS poll showed Clinton leading among women, 52% to 39%, with 55% of female respondents saying Trump doesn't seem to respect women. While an estimated 67% of women in the United States are a size 14 or above, all people — not just plus-size people — could be offended by weight shaming.
Machado has spoken out against Trump in recent months, saying she plans to use her new U.S. citizenship to cast a ballot for Clinton on November 8. The Clinton campaign seized on her support in the wake of Tuesday's debate, rolling out a new video about Machado's experience with Trump and how his comments have affected her life.
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I received my passport ! I'm ready to vote For my country for you @HillaryClinton for my daughter For women workers pic.twitter.com/U5lSwWxiHc
— Alicia Machado (@machadooficial) September 27, 2016
On Tuesday, Machado denounced Trump's attacks in a press call organized by the Clinton campaign.
She reiterated her support for the Democratic nominee and said that she hopes that her story can “open eyes in this election.”
“I’m a real woman, I’m a mother, I‘m a business girl, I’m an actress, I’m an activist,” she said. “And you know, maybe my story can change some minds.”
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