At a veterans round table event in Derry, New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton awkwardly responded to a man who said he wanted to "strangle" Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina every time he saw her on television.
The man, who is a Vietnam veteran, said he worked at Hewlett-Packard and was angry because he and many co-workers were laid off when Fiorina was the CEO of the company.
Clinton responded with a laugh — along with the rest of the room — and said, "I wouldn't mess with you."
Nick Merrill, a spokesman for Clinton, declined to address the interaction, instead telling the pool reporter who covered the event, "You were there. What was your take? It was a joke."
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Later Tuesday evening, another spokeswoman, Christina Reynolds, clarified further that Clinton does not find violence against women funny:
"At today's event, a veteran told a story about losing his job at HP, expressing his frustration at the way he was treated. He was using a figure of speech that should not be taken literally. Hillary Clinton doesn't hesitate to speak out against hateful or threatening rhetoric, but this vet did not intend to express either of those things, and Republicans should not try to pretend otherwise."