This Is Alicia Machado, the Beauty Queen Who Was the Kicker in the Presidential Debate

Miss Universe 1996 - Alicia Machado (VENEZUELA)

Aformer Miss Universe winner from Venezuela became an overnight sensation when Hillary Clinton mentioned her by name in an impassioned moment during the first presidential debate on Monday evening, calling out the GOP nominee for his bullying.

And it just got worse. Trump said the morning after the debate that he doesnt regret publicly criticizing Alicia Machados body.

She was the worst we ever had, he told Fox and Friends. She was a winner, and she gained a massive amount of weight, and we had a real problem. We had a real problem with her.

He called her Miss Piggy, Clinton announced at the end of the debate, referencing accusations made duringaninterview Machadogave toInside Edition earlier this year. Then he called her Miss Housekeeping because she was Latina, Clinton continued. After the debate, Clintons team posted a video to the Democratic presidential candidates official Twitter, offeringfurther information about Machado, now 39:

But who is Alicia Machado?Machado is more than just a beauty queen: She is a woman who claims to have suffered anorexia and bulimia for years after she saysTrump attacked her publicly forgaining 60 pounds following her pageant win in 1996 at age 19.

I was the first Miss Universe after Trump bought the pageant, Machado,saysin the video. He was overwhelming. I was very scared of him. Hed tell me You look ugly or You look fat. Sometimes hed play with me and say, Hello, Miss Piggy. Hello, Miss Housekeeping," Machado recalls. Although she gamely participated in many ad campaigns and earned the company a lot of money, she claims she was never compensated the 10 percent of the profits she was contractually obligated to receive forher promotional work.

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Then came the weight gain. According to the video and Machados testimony, Trump producer of the Miss Universe pageant at the time not only threatened to take her crown away but also cruelly invited members of the mediato witness and document her workout routine. According to theNew York Times, Machado said, I told the president of Miss Universe, a very sweet woman, I said I need some time to recuperate, to rest, to exercise, to eat right. I asked them to bring me a doctor to help me to have a special diet and get exercise, and they said yes. They took me to New York, installed me in a hotel. The next day, they took me to the gym, and Im exposed to 90 media outlets. Donald Trump was there. I had no idea that would happen. Machado claims she was humiliated and felt like a lab rat, she recalls in the Twitter video. It had turned into a circus, the joke of Miss Fat Universe.

Trump, took outright verbaljabs at her too, shamingher for her weight gain and telling reporters, while on camera, So this is somebody that likes to eat. According to CNN, he added at the time, Some people when they have pressure eat too much. Like me. Like Alicia. Machado claims that his passive-aggressive, piercing words changed the course of her life and led to her life-threatening eating disorders. I wouldnt eat, and I would still see myself as fat, because a powerful man said so, she says in the video voice-over.

Alicia Machado campaigns for Hillary Clinton in Miami. (Photo: Getty Images)

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The New York Times cleared upany confusion about whether or not Trumps stunts were calculated and Machados title was at stake if she did not slim down. Mr. Trump said he had pushed her to lose weight. To that, I will plead guilty, he said, expressing no regret for his tactics, the publication states.

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Two decades out from the incident, Machado seems much more confident, though what she says was prolonged public shaming left emotional scars. Over the past 20 years, Ive gone to a lot of psychologists to combat this, she says of the abuse, according to CNN. This is a man who doesnt realize the damage he causes, she says on video. He bears many grudges and harbors a deep racism, and he is convinced there are lesser human beings than him.

And after all these years, Machado has formed a strong alliance with her biggest public supporter Hillary Clinton. She has even actively campaigned for Clinton, according to CNN. Grateful for the candidates support, she tweeted at Clinton in Spanish after Mondays debate: Thank you, Mrs. Hillary Clinton your respect for women and our differences make you great! Im with you!

Machado has also obtainedher U.S. citizenshipin recent months. She may not ever be able to go back in time to defend herself against Trumps bullying, but she can now make a strong statement and hopefully a difference. Now Im strong. I am an American citizen, and Im going to vote, shes said.

Her name is Alicia Machado, and she has become a U.S. citizen, Clinton echoed at the debate, to a chorus of applause, as Trump continued to talk over her. And you can bet shes going to vote this November.

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