May 20 (UPI) — An aide who assisted former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in debate preparation shared video of Clinton practicing how to avoid a hug from then Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Philippe Reines shared video from September, which showed him attempting to force Clinton into a hug while standing in as Trump during her presidential debate prep.
“Not easy to avoid the unwanted Trump hug, sometimes it even takes practice ,” Reines wrote on Friday. “A favorite moment from debate prep.”
The video shows Clinton and Reines meeting in the middle of two podiums, as Clinton grabs Reines hand for a handshake to block his hug before attempting to run away.
Reines then grabbed Clinton by the shoulders and hugged her from behind as other staff members in the room joined the two in laughter.
The post came after Benjamin Wittes, a friend of former FBI Director James Comey, shared a blog post telling the story of Comey attempting to avoid a hug during a meeting with Trump after his inauguration.
“Comey took the long walk across the room determined, he told me, that there was not going to be a hug,” Wittes wrote. “Bad enough that he was there; bad enough that there would be a handshake; he emphatically did not want any show of warmth.”
Later Friday, Clinton shared the Reines’ video with her own Twitter followers, as she laughed at the memory.
“I burst out laughing when I saw this video this morning,” she wrote. “Hope it brightens your day.”
