Miss Alabama Meg McGuffin blasted Donald Trump during the Miss America pageant on Sunday, saying the Republican party should be "terrified" that he's taking the spotlight away from more traditional candidates.
Taya Kyle, the widow of American sniper Chris Kyle, asked McGuffin why she thought Trump was leading in the polls by an "overwhelming margin."
"I think Donald Trump is an entertainer," McGuffin responded from the stage,
Yahoo News reported.
"I think he says what’s on a lot of people’s minds, but I think that the Republican Party should be absolutely terrified of all the attention that he is taking from incredible candidates like Jeb Bush and Chris Christie who could absolutely do the job of president of the United States."
At the end of her answer, McGuffin seemed to suggest she was a Democrat or Independent.
"If I were a Republican, I would absolutely be terrified of that. Thank you," she said as applause rose from the crowd.
In the end, the 22-year-old Auburn University graduate was not crowned Miss America, but she was named fourth runner-up. Betty Cantrell, Miss Georgia, was crowned Miss America 2016.
Trump, who often responds to his critics on his Twitter account — which boasts more than 4 million followers — has not addressed McGuffin's comment as of Tuesday morning.
AL.com also reached out to Trump, as well as the Bush and Christie campaigns, however they did not comment on Sunday's pageant.
McGuffin's comment came just days after the real estate mogul announced that he'd settled his lawsuits against The Miss Universe Organization. He said in a Friday tweet that he'd "purchased NBC's half" of the organization, and is now the sole owner of both the Miss USA and Miss Universe beauty pageants.
The dispute between Trump and NBC came soon after he announced he was running for president in June. There, he said some Mexican immigrants were "rapists," igniting backlash from many of his business partners.
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