Alicia Machado: the woman Donald Trump called ‘Miss Piggy’
Alicia Machado being crowned Miss Universe in 1996. Photo: Getty
You might not know who Alicia Machado is, but this week she surpassed Kim Kardashian to become one of the internet’s most-Googled women.
If you listen to Donald Trump, the 39-year-old former Miss Universe is an overweight housekeeper he “hardly knows”. But for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, Trump’s opponent in the US presidential election, Machado is a powerful political weapon.
The surge in internet interest was prompted by a comment made by Clinton during this week’s presidential debate.
“This is a man who has called women ‘pigs,’ ‘slobs’, and ‘dogs’,” Clinton said of Trump.
“And one of the worst things he said was about a woman in a beauty contest … He called this woman ‘Miss Piggy’, then he called her ‘Miss Housekeeping’ because she was Latina. Donald, she has a name.”
“Her name is Alicia Machado, and she has become a US citizen, and you can bet, she’s going to vote this November.”
Searches for Machado in Australia spiked on Wednesday morning (AEST), at which point her name actually surpassed Clinton’s as a search term.
A graph showing the spike in searches for Alicia Machado compared with searches for Hillary Clinton.
Venezuelan-born Machado first came to Clinton’s attention earlier this year when she appeared on talk show Inside Edition and revealed Trump’s mistreatment of her during her 1996 reign as Miss Universe.
“For sure he’s not a good person,” said Machado, who was only 19 when she was crowned.
Congratulations on becoming a U.S. citizen, Alicia. Enjoy casting that vote. https://t.co/jewmwZrrOA
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 20, 2016
‘I was very depressed’
After her win, Machado gained approximately 18 kilograms, prompting Trump to label her an “eating machine” during an appearance on the Howard Stern Show.
Photographers and journalists watch Machado in the gym in 1996. Photo: Getty
The former Miss Universe owner (he sold the pageant in 2015) even invited journalists and photographers to watch her exercise in a gym as she attempted to shed the weight.
“He called me Miss Piggy, Miss Housekeeping … [It made me feel] so sad, I was very depressed,” Machado told Inside Edition.
Unsurprisingly, Trump’s treatment of Machado lead to her struggle with both anorexia and bulimia for almost five years.
Thankfully, she recovered and found fame and success as an actress and telenovela star, going on to become the first Miss Universe to pose for Playboy magazine.
Now a US citizen, Machado has campaigned for Clinton and will be able to vote in the upcoming election.
‘She was the worst we ever had’
In the days following the debate, Trump has failed to apologise for or retract his comments, instead trying to justify them during several media appearances.
Trump and Machado in 1996. Photo: Getty
The Republican candidate made an appearance on the show Fox and Friends on Tuesday and admitted Clinton bringing up Machado had gotten under his skin.
“The very last question when [Clinton] brought up the person [Machado] … I know that person, that person was a Miss Universe person and she was the worst we ever had. The worst, the absolute worst,” Trump said.
“She was the winner, and she gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem. Not only that, her attitude. We had a real problem with her.
“Hillary went back into the years and found the girl and talked about her like she was Mother Teresa and it wasn’t quite that way. But that’s okay, Hillary has to do what she has to do,” Trump concluded.
‘I’m not a saint’
Machado’s slate is far from clean – in 1998 a Venezuelan judge accused her of threatening to kill him.
Machado campaigning for Clinton this year. Photo: Getty
Asked about the incident by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper on Tuesday, Machado said she is “not a saint girl”.
“The judge in the case also said you had threatened to kill him after he indicted your boyfriend for the attempted murder,” Cooper said.
“You know, I have my past … Everybody has a past. And I’m not a saint girl. But that is not the point now,” Machado responded.
“That moment in Venezuela was wrong, was another speculation about my life, because I’m a really famous person in my country, because I’m an actress there, and in Mexico too … The point is, that happened 20 years ago.”
Talking to Fox host Bill O’Reilly on Wednesday, Trump tried to claim he had “saved” Machado’s job, adding that he “hardly knows” her.
“I had nothing to do with this person, but they wanted to fire her. I saved her job because I said that’s what I was going to do. Look what happened? Look what I get out of it? I get nothing.”
