Gennifer Flowers, former Bill Clinton mistress, accepts Donald Trump's debate invite
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump threatened to bring Gennifer Flowers, a woman who former President Bill Clinton admitted to having an extramarital sexual relationship with while married to his current wife, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, to the debate he and Clinton are scheduled to have on Monday evening.
Responding to news Clinton-allied billionaire Mark Cuban would be attending the debate at the invite of her campaign, Trump posted "If dopey Mark Cuban of failed Benefactor fame wants to sit in the front row, perhaps I will put Gennifer Flowers right alongside of him!" to Twitter.
If dopey Mark Cuban of failed Benefactor fame wants to sit in the front row, perhaps I will put Gennifer Flowers right alongside of him!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2016
Hours later, Flowers appeared to take Trump up on the offer in her own tweet.
Hi Donald. You know I'm in your corner and will definitely be at the debate!...💋
— Gennifer Flowers (@gennflowers) September 24, 2016
Flowers insisted she and Clinton had a 12-year affair, though the former president admitted to just one sexual encounter between the two, in 1977, two years after his marriage. Trump's team included a short (but soundless) clip from an infamous interview with the president on the topic in a recent campaign ad.
Er, but the point of the Cuban thing is that Trump is easily rattled. Clinton is not. https://t.co/pEGKtVRU7s
— Dave Weigel, Re-Animator (@daveweigel) September 24, 2016
I thought it was dopey for Clinton to bring Mark Cuban to the debate. It's even dopier for Trump to bring Gennifer Flowers. Blecch to both.
— David S. Bernstein (@dbernstein) September 24, 2016
Remember, if you're grossed out by Trump inviting Gennifer Flowers to the debate: Clinton kicked off this bit of trolling by inviting Cuban
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) September 24, 2016
Remember that time Hillary Clinton cheated on her husband with Gennifer Flowers?
Neither do I.— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) September 24, 2016
On Twitter, some political commentators suggested the spat was evidence that Clinton and Cuban had successfully gotten under Trump's skin during one of the most crucial moments of his campaign, though others suggested perhaps the move had backfired.
Whether or not Flowers will actually attend, let alone sit in the front row, is currently unclear.