Hillary Clinton’s health has become a new target for Trump’s presidential campaign, and certain people are not hesitating to put forth some of the internet’s most outlandish conspiracy theories in order to instill doubt.
The past few days, Donald Trump has repeated several times that his opponent doesn’t have the “mental and physical stamina” to be president, while Hillary Clinton, 68, has been traveling for months and recently had a successful fundraising party. He also tweeted, “#WheresHillary? Sleeping!”
Some people in Trump’s entourage have been stressing the point. On Fox News, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani claimed, “I think Hillary is tired… She looks sick.”
The day before, Giuliani said on Fox News that the media “fails to point out several signs of illness by her; all you gotta do is go online… Go online and put down ‘Hillary Clinton illness,’ take a look at the videos yourself.”
Katrina Pierson, a spokesperson for Trump’s campaign, also spoke about “dysphasia” the week before, and claimed that Clinton has “taken a lot of time off the campaign trail.”
According to her doctor Lisa Bardack, Clinton is “in excellent physical condition and fit to serve as president of the United States.” Notably, she experiences no aftereffects from a concussion she had in 2012.
Conspiracy Fever
Giuliani’s statement, posted on Twitter by Fox, was accompanied by photos showing Clinton with bags under her eyes, or strangely pale, as well as a montage where she repeatedly and bizarrely shakes her head.
Some of her detractors have not hesitated to speak of Parkinson’s, epilepsy, or neurological problems, often linking these claims to her concussion. Has she stumbled? Has she coughed? Did she briefly sit down on a stool? They see all these as signs.
To fuel the conspiracy fever, conservative site Breitbart, whose CEO Steve Bannon is Trump’s new campaign manager, claimed this past weekend that “Clinton’s health is becoming a major issue in the campaign.”
Breitbart also cites, in passing, several key words from social media, such as HillaryHealth and HillaryStools.
The letter from her doctor last year? “A facade,” Bannon added.
Dr. Bardack confirmed in July 2015 that Clinton was “in excellent physical condition,” a confirmation that has been repeated in light of these rumors.
In her letter, Dr. Bardack explains that near the end of 2012, Clinton, secretary of state at the time, suffered from a gastric virus and dehydration, followed by a concussion after fainting. After that, a blood clot was discovered between her brain and her skull, and she saw double for a few weeks.
But Dr. Bardack added that a checkup in 2013 “revealed complete resolution of the effects of the concussion as well as total dissolution of the thrombosis.”
According to Jeanne Zaino, a political expert from Iona College in New York, the question of candidates’ health is “serious and normal. You want to be sure that the person you vote for can do the job.”*
This is especially the case now, since Trump, 70, would be the oldest president ever to make it to the White House, and Clinton would be the second oldest following Ronald Reagan, who was 69-years and 11-months-old when he entered office.
But according to Zaino, the attacks on Clinton’s health shouldn’t be too damaging, unless something changes drastically.
She points out that “if you look objectively, it’s hard to make the case that either one of them is suffering from lack of stamina.
“But it does allow the Trump campaign to come up with a counter to his tax issue,” she says, referring to Trump’s refusal to publish his tax return.
*Editor’s note: This quoted remark, although accurately translated, could not be independently verified.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.