Clinton: I've Had A "Lifetime Of Dealing With Difficult Men Trying To Throw Me Off"

Hillary Clinton, 2016 Democratic nominee for president, released excerpts from her upcoming book 'What Happened' exclusively on MSNBC's Morning Joe this morning.



Clinton wrote about how Trump "invaded" her space during the second presidential debate. Clinton wrote, "I kept my cool, aided by a lifetime of dealing with difficult men trying to throw me off."





CLINTON: This was not okay, I thought. It was the second presidential debate and Donald Trump was looming behind me. Two days before, the world heard him brag about groping women. 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. It was one of those moments where you wish you could hit pause and ask everyone watching, "Well, 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. Get away from me. I know you love to intimidate women, but you can't intimidate me, so back up.'



I choose Option A. I kept my cool, aided by a lifetime of dealing with difficult men trying to throw me off. I did, however, grip the microphone extra hard.



I wonder, though, if I should have chosen Option B. It certainly would've been better TV. Maybe I overlearned the lesson of staying calm, biting my tongue, digging my fingernails into a clenched fist, smiling all the while determined to present a composed face to the world.