Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton simultaneously comforted a young girl concerned about bullying and subtly hit Donald Trump during a town hall in Keota, Iowa, Tuesday.
At the end of the event, fifth-grader Hannah Tandy asked Clinton what she would do about bullying.
"I have asthma, and occasionally I've heard people talking behind my back about not wanting to be near me because I have asthma," Tandy said. "I mean, people, it's not contagious."
Clinton told Tandy she was "very brave" for asking her question, then appeared to reference her own challenges with Republican adversaries like Donald Trump, who the night before had referred to Clinton's loss to President Barack Obama in 2008 using an especially crude Yiddish slang term. Trump also said the bathroom break that briefly delayed Clinton's return to the stage during Saturday's Democratic primary debate was "disgusting."
"I really do think we need more love and kindness in our country," Clinton told Tandy. "That's why it's important to stand up to bullies wherever we are, and why we shouldn't let anybody bully his way into the presidency, because that is not who we are as Americans."
Clinton added that she's "somebody who's had a lot of terrible things said about me" but that she was "old enough that it doesn't particularly bother" her. She said social media allows people to more easily make nasty comments.
“I think we all need to be aware of the pain and real anguish bullying can cause,” Clinton said. "I don’t think a lot of people who do it really understand how it makes other people feel.”
Tandy was pleased with Clinton's answer.
At the same town hall, Clinton reiterated her assertion that Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric -- he's said he would ban all Muslims from entering the U.S. -- is "playing into the hands of the violent jihadists." She made a similar claim during Saturday's debate, provoking Trump's ire.