Bizarre Video Shows Clinton Practicing Dodging Trump Hug During Debate Prep
A former staffer on the Hillary Clinton campaign has published a strange video of him and the candidate practicing how she would dodge a hug from Donald Trump during debate prep.
Philippe Reines, 46, posted the video, which he dated as being taken on September 24, to Twitter on Friday. It shows him and the candidate walking out to applause from fellow staffers while preparing for the first presidential debate at Hofstra University on September 26.
Not easy to avoid the unwanted Trump hug, sometimes it even takes practice…
A favorite moment from debate prep (9/24/16): pic.twitter.com/JAAHaqKFoa
— Philippe Reines (@PhilippeReines) May 19, 2017
Clinton herself retweeted the video, saying she “burst out laughing” when she saw it. “Hope it brightens your day,” the failed candidate added.
The petty video shows the two seemingly joking and play wrestling, but it also a bit pathetic.
I burst out laughing when I saw this video this morning. Hope it brightens your day. https://t.co/CEcdoaQUuC
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 19, 2017
The two candidates ended up shaking hands normally during the debate at Hofstra, but as the campaigns grew more scorched earth, they skipped the gesture entirely during the second one.
No. Handshake. #debate https://t.co/mnGaSrain5 pic.twitter.com/kUmnqGPuAS
— The National Desk (@TND) October 10, 2016
In an interview with Politico in January, Reines described his methods of debate prep during the campaign.
The article states:
“Reines purchased four podiums on Amazon, two for his home and two for the secret office the Clinton campaign lent him at the PerkinsCoie law firm in Washington, D.C. He searched eBay for a 2005 Donald J. Trump signature collection watch, which he purchased for $175. He experimented with a self-tanning lotion on his face. Before prep sessions, Reines began suiting up with velcro knee pads (to keep his legs straight), a posture enhancer (to keep his arms back), and dress shoes with three-inch lifts (to match Trump’s 6-foot-1-inch frame). His longtime tailor fit him for a loose-fitting suit with large cuffs. His goal was not a ‘Saturday Night Live’-style caricature of Trump, so he didn’t try to replicate Trump’s famous mane. But he wanted to approximate his physicality so that Clinton would grow accustomed to Trump’s looming presence when she saw Reines in her peripheral vision.”
Weird.
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