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

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."

"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.'"

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

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.