Hillary Clinton: Donald Trump Made My Skin Crawl During Presidential Debate

WASHINGTON, DC — Donald Trump shadowed Hillary Clinton as she spoke during the second debate of the 2016 presidential election, a town hall-style debate in October 2016 that allowed the 6-foot-3 Republican to follow the 5-foot-5 Democrat wherever she spoke onstage. Just days before, an "Access Hollywood" tape showing Trump bragging about aggressively groping women without their consent had rocked the tense campaign.

Many political pundits then argued that Trump's behavior in the debate, especially in the context of the tape, was threatening and disconcerting.

Now, thanks to an excerpt from her upcoming book, we know how Clinton felt at the time. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

"My skin crawled," Clinton writes of her reaction to Trump's pacing and hovering demeanor.

She says in the book that Trump shadowed her so closely she had to resist shouting out, "Back up you creep, get away from me."

The Democratic presidential nominee recounts her struggle to keep composed during that pivotal Oct. 9 face-off in St. Louis less than a month before the election.

"This is not OK, I thought," Clinton says in her audio narration of "What Happened," set for release Sept. 12.

"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."

Clinton says, "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.'"

Clinton says she "kept my cool, aided by a lifetime of dealing with difficult men trying to throw me off."

"Maybe I have 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," Clinton says.

Excerpts of Clinton reading from the book aired Wednesday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

Write a letter to the editor of the White House Patch.

Follow us on Twitter.

Rick T. Wilking/Pool via AP