Hillary Clinton promised to let her guard down in her upcoming book What Happened, but judging by an excerpt released Wednesday morning, she’s also getting her dander up.
Clinton writes that Trump attempted to “intimidate” her during the second presidential debate by standing behind her as she answered questions.
“It was incredibly uncomfortable,” she writes. “He was literally breathing down my neck. My skin crawled. … What would you do? 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!”
The excerpt was released on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”.
The debate in question, on Oct. 9, took place days after a tape has been released where Trump bragged to Access Hollywood host Billy Bush about groping women.
“I chose option A. I kept my cool, aided by a lifetime of dealing with difficult men trying to throw me off,” Clinton writes. “I did, however, grip the microphone extra hard. I wonder though whether I should have chosen option B. It certainly would have been better TV. Maybe I have over-learned the lesson of staying calm, biting my tongue, digging my fingernails into a clinched fist, smiling all the while, determined to present a composed face to the world.”
What Happened is due to hit stores Sept. 12 and Clinton’s likely to have much more to say about Trump. Among the other topics she’ll explore in the book are Russian interference in the election and then-FBI director James Comey’s decision to reopen the investigation into her private email server days before the election.