Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton waves to the crowd after speaking about her memoir "What Happened" at the University of Michigan on Tuesday October 24, 2017. Hunter Dyke | The Ann Arbor News

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Hillary discusses 'What Happened' in presidential election

By Lauren Slagter | lslagter@mlive.com

As Hillary Clinton reflected on her 2016 presidential campaign in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Oct. 24, President Donald Trump inevitably came up a few times.

Clinton was in town as part of her tour promoting her new book, "What Happened," which examines what she sees as the main factors that contributed to her loss of the presidential election.

Scroll down for a look at five things Clinton had to say about Trump’s campaign and his performance so far as president, including how Trump has responded to the issues she brought up.

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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks intensely to a crowd of hundreds at Macomb Community College in Warren, MI on Monday, October 31, 2016. Trump previously spoke in Grand Rapids before his address in Warren. Matt Weigand | The Ann Arbor News

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1. Alternative facts

Clinton said the presidential campaign showed her just how important it is for people to demand facts, evidence and decisions rooted in reason. She said the Russian efforts to spread disinformation during the campaign was successful in part because for years in America “powerful interests and voices” have tried to make it more difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction.

“When leaders deny things we can see with our own eyes - like the size of the crowd at the inauguration - or when they refuse to accept settled science when it comes to urgent challenges like climate change, it is not just frustrating to everyone who prides (themselves) on living in the fact-based universe. It is insidious and it is subversive to democracy,” Clinton said.

The day after Trump’s inauguration, the White House said the media had intentionally framed photos of the inauguration in a way that downplayed the size of the crowd in attendance, and Trump’s staff said the crowd for Trump’s inauguration was the largest ever.

Trump estimated the crowd at 1.5 million, and Sean Spicer, who was the White House press secretary at the time, estimated 720,000 people attended the inauguration. Some media outlets estimated the crowd size at 250,000 people.

Even if Trump’s estimate was accurate, that would not be the largest ever turnout for an inauguration.

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Hillary Clinton places her hand over her hand as she walks to the podium to address the Children's Defense Fund's Beat the Odds celebration at the Newseum in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

2. Russian sanctions

Clinton said it is “shameful” Trump has not enforced harsher sanctions against Russia.

“The President swore an oath to faithfully execute the law and defend the Constitution, and he should start doing his job,” she said. “And the rest of us have to keep up the pressure.”

In August, Trump signed into law harsher sanctions against Russia that Congress passed in response to Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In September, U.S. Senators raised concerns that Trump is not enforcing the sanctions.

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In this photo taken Aug. 28, 2017, President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington. President Donald Trump said Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017 that "all options are on the table" in terms of a U.S. response to North Korea's launch of a missile over Japan. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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3. Trump's relationship with Putin

Clinton suggested Trump is beholden to Vladimir Putin because of Russia’s influence in helping Trump win the election.

“Trump really admires authoritarians. I’ve said he doesn’t just like Putin, he wants to be like Putin,” Clinton said.

“I think there really is a very foolish assumption by a lot of Republicans that they don’t need to get to the bottom of this (Russian influence in the election) - both because they don’t want to raise questions about the legitimacy of the election’s outcome, and because they don’t want to alienate not just the Russians, but whoever was working with the Russians,” she continued.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump offered conflicting accounts of his relationship with Putin. He has generally spoken favorably of the Russian president.

Trump also has attributed the 2016 Democratic National Committee hack to the Russians, and said they should not have done it.

"I would love to be able to get along with Russia," Trump said at a news conference in February. "Now, you've had a lot of presidents that haven't taken that tack. Look where we are now. Look where we are now. So, if I can - now, I love to negotiate things, I do it really well, and all that stuff. But - but it's possible I won't be able to get along with Putin."

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Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks about her memoir "What Happened" at the University of Michigan on Tuesday October 24, 2017. Hunter Dyke | The Ann Arbor News

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4. Sexual assault

Continuing on the theme of Russian influence in shaping the outcome of the 2016 election, Clinton talked about how quickly the news cycle shifted focus from the now infamous Access Hollywood tape of Trump’s 2005 comments to Billy Bush - which Clinton characterized Tuesday as Trump admitting he had committed sexual assault.

Hours after that tape was released to the public in October 2016, WikiLeaks released thousands of emails hacked from Clinton’s campaign chair. Clinton said it was a calculated move by WikiLeaks - orchestrated by Russians - to shift attention from Trump’s comments about being able to force himself on women because of his celebrity.

Trump described his comments on the Access Hollywood tape as "locker room banter" and apologized.

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President Donald Trump waves as awaits the arrival of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, July 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

5. Judging candidates by appearance

Clinton spoke about the unique challenges that face women in leadership positions because of the sexism and misogyny embedded in American culture. She advised other women to take criticism seriously, but not personally - and to ignore criticism about superficial things like hairstyle.

“I think men are told - at least some men are told - ‘Your tie’s too long,’” Clinton said, referencing a common critique of Trump’s wardrobe. “That’s not intensely personal. … By the time a woman actually gets out there (in the public eye), she’s been criticized up one side and down the other.”

In September 2016, Trump said Clinton did not have a "presidential look." When ABC's David Muir pressed Trump on what he meant by that, Trump said Clinton "has said things about me that are horrible."

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