Hillary Clinton says she fantasized about saying 'back up you creep' to Trump in last year's debate

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump during a campaign debate.
(Image credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

Morning Joe aired exclusive excerpts from Hillary Clinton's forthcoming memoir about the 2016 campaign, What Happened, on Wednesday, including one passage about her desire to turn to Donald Trump during the second presidential debate and demand, "Back up you creep, get away from me."

Trump caught viewers' attention in October 2016 for looming behind Clinton throughout the debate. "Two days before, the world heard him brag about groping women," Clinton writes. "Now we were on a small stage and no matter where I walked, he followed me closely, staring at me, making faces. It was incredibly uncomfortable. He was literally breathing down my neck. My skin crawled."

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"Well, what would you do?" Clinton asks in her memoir. "Do you stay calm, keep smiling, and carry on as if he weren't repeatedly invading your space? Or do you turn, look him in the eye, and say loudly and clearly: 'Back up you creep, get away from me. I know you love to intimidate women, but you can't intimidate me, so back up.'"

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Clinton adds that her memoir is intended to "pull back the curtain on an experience that was exhilarating, joyful, infuriating, and just plain humbling." It is due out on Sept. 12. Listen to more of the excerpts on Morning Joe.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.