The Miss Universe hoax, or 'No good deed goes un-Clintoned'

CLINTON: He loves beauty contests, supporting them and hanging around them. And he called this woman "Miss Piggy." Then he called her "Miss Housekeeping," because she was Latina. Donald, she has a name-- TRUMP: Where did you find this? Where did you find this? CLINTON: Her name is Alicia Machado. TRUMP: Where did you find this? CLINTON: And she has become a U.S. citizen, and you can bet-- TRUMP: Oh, really? CLINTON: --she's going to vote this November. TRUMP: OK, good. Let me just tell you-- (APPLAUSE) MODERATOR LESTER HOLT: Mr. Trump, could we just take 10 seconds and then we ask the final question--

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Piggy/Housekeeping

Makin' stuff up

I was the first Miss Universe after Trump bought the pageant. He was overwhelming. I was very scared of him. He'd yell at me all the time. He'd tell me, "You look ugly," or, "You look fat." Sometimes he'd "play" with me and say: "Hello, Miss Piggy," "Hello, Miss Housekeeping." As Miss Universe, I participated in more ad campaigns than most. In a year, I earned the company a lot of money. By contract, I should've earned 10% on all the commercials and word I did. I was never paid. [Video of Trump saying: "She weighed 118 pounds or 117 pounds and she went up to 160 or 170. So this is somebody who likes to eat."] It was very humiliating. I felt really bad, like a lab rat. It had turned into a circus, the joke of "The Miss Fat Universe." A joke that caused me a lot of pain. Long after, I was sick with eating disorders. I wouldn't eat, and I would still see myself as fat, because a powerful man had said so. This is a man who doesn't realize the damage he causes. He bears many grudges, and harbors a deep racism, and he is convinced that there are lesser human beings than him. But now I'm strong. I am an American citizen, and I'm going to vote. That's why I dare to speak about all this. I think Donald Trump definitely lacks the ability, experience, preparation, and human qualities, to be president of the United States.

Well, first I want to say thank you to giving it to me this space and to share my--the story with Mr. Trump. This happened 20 years ago. And you know, I don't need to share this story if I don't believe that person is not the right person than being a president or trying to be a president. This happened 20 years ago. In that moment, he was not the person that you can see now. Maybe he was more just business guy. And I was a little girl, too. I was 18 years old. And you know, the only thing I want to do is to share my story. I think in this moment just for my community. I'm a Latina. I'm from Venezuela and from Venezuela and Cuba. And you know, I need to share my story. I think I can open a few eyes. I can maybe change a few minds. You know, I don't think this person is the right person that can be a president.

KELLY: Was there anybody around when he allegedly called you Miss Piggy or in particular Miss Housekeeping which doesn't have a connotation about weight, it speaks to racism, if it was said? MACHADO: Well, he did it all the time. He did it all the time. He did it on the office or in some events. And of course, it was maybe, where maybe people from the company in a few occasions was alone between him and me. [sic]

COOPER: Take me back. In what circumstance did he -- because the Trump campaign is denying that he called you "Miss Piggy" or "Miss Housekeeping." You're saying, point-blank, he said that to your face? MACHADO: Yes, all the time. And I share a lot of time with him in the office, in the events. Maybe now, maybe now he remember me.

Trump to the rescue--yes, really

Special K boxes featuring Miss Universe Alicia Machado will be discontinued in her native Venezuela because of controversy surrounding her weight, Kellogg's announced yesterday in Caracas. The cereal boxes show the beauty sitting on an inflatable globe above the slogan "nothing to hide." The 5-foot-10 Machado, 19, whose reign runs until May, was 118 pounds when she won the title last spring. In September she admitted to an 11-pound gain, but now reports say she's bulked up to 170 pounds. Special K buyers in Venezuela who stocked up on the product in hopes of keeping trim figures are now demanding their money back. There's talk that Machado has an eating disorder, and Donald Trump, who runs the Miss Universe pageant, said recently, "You could call her an eating machine." But Trump's opposed to taking away her crown: "She'd be destroyed if they take it away." He also noted that her appearance on the next pageant would probably snare high TV ratings because of interest in seeing her new self.

Miss Universe hit the gym Tuesday, trying to control her expanding dimensions before the Big Binge turns her career into a black hole. Since winning the crown in May, 20-year-old Alicia Machado of Venezuela has clearly added a little padding to her well-rounded curves. "I was in other countries with other foods," Miss Machado explained. Now, with the support of Donald Trump, who co-owns the Miss Universe pageant with CBS, she's shedding the pounds for all the world to see. While the weight might have threatened her crown, it didn't hurt her name recognition. "Famous publicity! Before I had 15 pounds more, nobody knows. Now I am Miss Universe and everybody knows," she said in broken but enthusiastic English. With 50 photographers crowding around her in a tiny gym, she lifted a 10-pound weight, skipped rope and pedaled a bike-- all while laughing, smiling, waving and, between every stretch, readjusting her silky mane of streaked honey-colored hair. Her new trainer, Edward Jackowitz, wouldn't say what her weight is now or what it was at its worst. He said the 5-foot-7 beauty weighed 119 pounds when she won. He said that she's already lost seven pounds, with 15 to go. "She likes to eat--like all of us," Trump said. "And there was a huge amount of pressure when she won the contest." Was she now in danger of losing the crown? "There were people in the pageant industry who thought there should be a termination," Trump said. "The weight was unacceptable to a lot of people. It was not unacceptable to me." But he decided that putting her publicly on a healthy diet with workouts "could serve as an example" for others.

Larry Freeman, president and chief executive officer of the Freeman Cosmetic Corp., applauded Donald Trump for not forcing the current 1996 Miss Universe, Alicia Machado, to relinquish her title in light of the recent controversy surrounding her weight gain. In a society in which 95 percent of the population does not emulate the stereotypical "Super Model," it could be psychologically devastating for women to be judged primarily on their physical appearance. "When women and men in our society put constraints on the way we 'should' look, it becomes difficult to remember that it is who we are inside that is important," said Freeman. "Too often we are judged completely on our physical appearance, and it is time to stop this superficial, detrimental behavior. "We need to teach our children that they are important for who they are, not for what they look like, how tall they are, or the color of their hair." "Some people involved in the pageant would like to have seen Alicia lose her crown," said Trump, owner of Trump Pageants, L.P. "However, I thought it was unfair to judge her solely on her weight. Alicia is, and always will be, Miss Universe." Freeman believes so strongly in the philosophy of "Beauty is Inside" that he has built his entire company on this approach. Determined to spread this message, Freeman Cosmetics has never used professional "Super Models" as spokespeople, and the company has supported such foundations as the Tournament of Roses Scholarship Fund, which awards women based solely on merit.

MOOS (voice-over): When she was named Miss Universe, no one could accuse Alicia Machado of being the size of the Universe. But as her universe expanded so did she. MACHADO (in gym): Be careful. TRUMP: But some people when they have pressure eat too much, like me, but like Alicia. MOOS (voice-over): Since she won the title nine months ago, the former Miss Venezuela went from a 118 pounds to, well the number keeps growing like the size of the fish that got away. EDWARD JACKOWSKI, PERSONAL TRAINER: About 160 pounds max. TRUMP: Do you want to bill us a 170 pounds. MOOS: But she is hardly a blimp. JACKOWSKI: No. MOOS (voice-over): Edward Jackowski is the fitness trainer whose goal is to get Alicia's weight down. Though at five foot seven, a hundred and forty nine pounds, you might not think she looks overweight. MOOS: You're not fat. MACHADO: Who says?. MOOS (on camera): In Venezuela? This is considered fat? MACHADO: No, no I don't know. MOOS (on camera): Is this considered fat in Venezuela? They just like their women skinny? MACHADO (on camera): Yes. Very anorexic. MOOS (voice-over): Why there are even rumors Alicia might be forced to give up her Miss Universe crown, though it's co-owner of rights to the pageant Donald Trump says he would never have let that happen. TRUMP: We had a choice of termination or do this, and we wanted to do this. MOOS (voice-over): Do this, meaning get her weight down to about a 130 pounds. So there she was pedaling and jumping rope in front of a pack of photographers and reporters, who could themselves use a little training. [Melee as news photographers bump into each other] ORGANIZER 1: Can we all just back up? Everybody's going to get-- [knocks into photographer] ORGANIZER 2: You be careful. ORGANIZER 1: Everybody stay back. Don't start moving up. TRUMP: A lot of you folks have weight problems, I hate to tell you. MOOS: In her role as Miss Universe, Alicia had a deal with Kellogg's to appear on boxes of "Special K" in Venezuela. MACHADO: I don't eat Kellogg's, and for this maybe I gain weight. MOOS: As her weight grew, so did reports that Kellogg had canceled the deal, or even modified Alicia's body on the box. But a spokesman for the cereal maker says the contract simply expired in December and that they were real pleased with the promotion. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: They say she has an hour glass figure. MOOS: Actually Alicia's trainer classifies figures four ways. JACKOWSKI: We need a spoon. MOOS: Well, what is everyone so far? JACKOWSKI: Hour glass, ruler, cone, ruler on the end. MOOS: So who's the spoon? A spoon is big on the bottom. Miss Universe can thank her stars she's merely a slightly enlarged hour glass rather than a big spoon. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

Before she became Miss Universe last May, Alicia Machado whittled her 5-foot-9 frame down to 118 pounds. When she relaxed, her expanded curves (she may have hit 165 pounds) turned off some pageant officials, who thought the Venezuelan beauty should forfeit her crown. But Donald Trump, who co-owns the pageant with CBS, said that "would be unfair to her and to people with a weight problem." Bouncing and stretching to get back in shape at a New York gym last week, Machado, 20, was piqued. "I am not a piggy," she told NEWSWEEK. "I don't eat five cakes in one day. I eat normal." What does she weigh now? Her just deserts: a plateful of promo offers for diet foods.

Most of us battle our bulges in sweaty anonymity. But when the world's most conspicuous dealmaker sets out to help the most beautiful woman in the universe slim down, nothing less than the galaxy is at stake. So, there was Donald Trump, in pale yellow pants, white golf shirt and white running shoes, presenting a curvaceous Miss Universe, simply enviable in black spandex and gold-rimmed sunglasses. "There are a lot of people out there who have similar problems, including some of us," Trump said at a poolside kickoff for the "wellness" program he is sponsoring for Venezuelan beauty Alicia Machado. "For people who have a weight problem, she serves as a tremendous example." After becoming Miss Universe last May when she weighed 118 pounds, the 5-foot-9 Machado relaxed a regimen of diet pills, strict exercise and no eating after noon. She quickly topped the scales at 170 pounds. Now, with the 1997 pageant scheduled for May 16 in North Miami Beach, Machado and Trump -- the pageant's new owner -- decided a diet is in order. "It is obviously not healthy to be overweight," Trump said, adding that his office has been "besieged" with calls about Machado's weight. "I am no cow or something like that," said Machado, 20, now 158 pounds. No one seemed to question the Draconian measures to achieve her slender physique. But Machado's larger proportions caused an international flap. "Around the world Miss Universe is looked at as an icon. They expect her to be perfect," said Maureen Reidy, president of the pageant. "Basically, she starved herself before she won." Machado's 1,200-calorie, 29-grams-of-fat-a-day program -- which began with laps in Trump's oxygenated, Mediterranean-tiled pool at 8 a.m. on Saturday -- will be a physical, mental and spiritual renewal, her trainer and doctor said. This includes food prepared by a world-class chef, yoga, t'ai chi, shiatsu massage, and movement five hours a day. Machado hopes the effort -- about 20 pounds in three months -- will inspire women with eating disorders to get healthy. And pageant officials say that "99 per cent of women in this country can relate to her."

side from the pain of getting called "Miss Piggy," a 24-pound weight gain during her reign was great for her career, Venezuela's former Miss Universe insists. "It was the best thing that ever happened to me," Alicia Machado told a news conference Wednesday. "It gave me international publicity." Machado, 20, looking fit and making her first visit home since ending her reign a month ago, said she's gotten offers to act in movies and on television in the United States and Latin America.

The pageant in Miami Beach, my first as owner, was a huge success. From my position offstage, I was able to glance up to the greenroom [the waiting room for people appearing on the program] occasionally. I could just see Alicia Machado, the current Miss Universe, sitting there plumply. God, what problems I had with this woman. First, she wins. Second, she gains fifty pounds. Third, I urged the committee not to fire her. Fourth, I go to the gym with her in a show of support. Final act: She trashes me in the Washington Post--after I stood by her the entire time. What's wrong with this picture? Anyway, the best part about the evening was the knowledge that next year she would no longer be Miss Universe. What's maddening is that I supported her. Even in Palm Beach, where I haven't always gotten the greatest press, Shannon Donnelly, society columnist for the Palm Beach Daily News, wrote, "Here's a new one for the Donald: Protector-Advocate for large women. His acquisition from ITT [previous owner of the pageant] has put Alicia Machado under the Trump Aegis. The Donald, bless his heart, doesn't want to fire her because 'it would be a terrible message to send.' He is instead bringing her to the spa at Mar-a-Lago where she can work out in earnest, eat sensibly and generally decompress." That sounds pretty gentlike to me.

Trump made her sick?

She's skinny again, though not quite as skinny as when she won her title. But back then, she was just beginning her fight back from what she describes as the beauty-pageant plague. "I was anorexic and bulimic – but almost all of us are," Machado says. "When I was preparing for Miss Universe, it was an obsession for me to not gain weight. By the time I won, I was actually recovering. But the year leading to it, I didn't eat at all. And whatever I ate, I threw up. I weighed 116 pounds when I won. I was skeletal." According to American Medical Association charts, Machado was 9 pounds below a healthy weight when she won. In fact, at the time she reportedly became so heavy, she actually was within the healthy range. By February, Newsweek and People magazines were saying she had swelled to more than 160 pounds. "That's ridiculous," Machado says. "I gained 19 pounds. And now most of it is off again."

When she was 17 there was a pageant in her home town -she entered. Although nervous, she enjoyed it and her father was very proud when she won. Local celebrity followed, then Miss Venezuela. . . . Then, faced with Miss Universe the following year, she had come to realise that where appearances are everything, appearances are hard work. There were six hours a day of exercising and two hours of dance. There were hair and make-up classes and diction classes to help with speaking into a microphone. Most of all, there was the dieting. She was not, and is not by any standards, fat. But she wanted to win. "The directors of the pageants seem to favour anorexics and we women, in order to lose weight in a hurry, we will take pills and starve ourselves and use creams, we'll do anything and I did all of that," she said. "I was so obsessed with being thin that I used to throw up every day."

KELLY: You said as a result of what he said to you, you developed an eating disorder, bulimia and anorexia. But you had said publicly at the time that you suffered from both of those eating disorders prior to the Miss Universe contest and really you know have come into-- MACHADO: No, no, never, never prior the Miss Universe pageant. I never had any problem before Miss Universe. KELLY: Well this is from the Washington Post. MACHADO: Sorry, that have not-- KELLY: Let me just tell you what I'm referring to and then you respond. The Washington Post from May 16, 1997 reported this quote from you, "I was anorexic and bulimic, but almost all of us are. When I was preparing for Miss Universe it was an obsession for me to not gain weight. By the time I won, I was actually recovering, but the year leading to it I didn't eat at all. And whatever I ate I threw up. I weighed 116 pounds when I won. I was skeletal."So, it sounds like without diminishing anything that you went through after Trump, it does sound like you had an eating disorder prior to his comments and prior to winning. No? MACHADO: No. I'm sorry but that was not true. Maybe in that moment, the company, Miss Universe and a specific-- this person, they manipulate a lot of information about me. I'm here because I know this person and he's not a good person. That is the point. The point is no more abuse for us. No more abuse for the girls.

Lie-enablers in the media

. . . Hillary Clinton's kill shot [in the debate] was to say that Machado had become a U.S. citizen recently and would be voting for her. A less compliant media might have noted or emphasized that the Mexican attorney general's office said Machado was romantically involved and had a daughter with a notorious drug lord, Jose Gerardo Alvarez Vazquez, also known as "El Indio." Or that a Venezuelan judge said Machado threatened "to ruin my career as a judge and ... kill me," after he indicted her then-boyfriend for murder. Or that the Associated Press reported allegations that she drove the getaway car, even though there was insufficient evidence to prosecute. But these angles run counter to another media/Clinton campaign theme of discrediting the idea that immigrants to this country, under our current policies, are anything other than perfect people. (You may see a second version of it this week in how the media emphasize or downplay the immigration status, voting habits, and murder spree-ness, of this guy[Cascade Mall shooter Arcan Cetin].) Yes, CNN did ask Machado if she threatened to kill a judge. She replied, oddly, "What matters is my self-esteem."

You know, I was in Venezuela recently with the president, Hugo Chavez, and he is putting up cooperative factories for the people, so that they can have work. And the people there elect their own representatives. They are making shoes for the schoolchildren, uniforms for the schoolchildren, backpacks and t-shirts. They have a cooperative farm where the people grow their own food. The military comes in to build houses for the people, and you know what? Right there, by the factory, they have a medical clinic and a dental clinic, free, free for the people. They can go to the doctor. They get their dentist and medical [care], free of charge. . . . Why can't we do that here in the United States?

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