Hillary Clinton’s aids rushed to her side as she collapsed right before leaving the 9/11 Memorial Ceremony. No one knew the reasoning behind this. Some thought it was because of the heat, as she blamed it on at one point. Others made assumptions that she was ill.
We found out later that 68-year-old Clinton was diagnosed with pneumonia. Clinton admitted that she kept pushing forward despite the fact that she knew she was sick. She keeps telling the press that she is “feeling great,” but some wonder if this will affect her campaign, along with the upcoming election.
We find out that overheating could have been a factor on top of her illness, along with dehydration. Instead of Trump wishing her well, he turns to social media saying that she is unfit to be president because of her health scare. He always states that she “lacks the mental and physical stamina to take on ISIS.”
While some may roll their eyes at his statements, many are wondering how her health will continue to affect her campaign now and in the future if she does win the election.
The public is also concerned that we were left in the dark, and they are upset with Clinton for not disclosing information about what was going on with her health. Clinton is playing off her sickness as if it is not a big deal, but many are concerned about what this is going to mean.
Not only can the election be stressful on her while she is going through an illness, but a presidency is something that can be really hard on someone physically and mentally. Both can be hard on a person even with a healthy body, but when adding pneumonia to the mix, this can eventually take a toll.
Clinton is not the only candidate leaving the public in the dark. Trump does not share any personal information either. While this is important for both candidates to stay professional, many want to know what is going on with the two candidates, and the public wants to be informed and kept in the loop.
This reminds many people of when Franklin Roosevelt concealed his paralysis for a long time. Clinton’s situation is on a smaller scale, but both situations allude to a politician in the public eye hiding something related to their health.
“Not only can the election be stressful on her while she is going through an illness, but a presidency is something that can be really hard on someone physically and mentally.”
Many have expressed concerns that both candidates are elderly and we are not being informed about their health. This especially comes into play when people are still deciding on who to vote for; voters feel as though they are not completely being informed.
Although questions about candidates’ health began with Clinton fainting after the 9/11 Memorial Ceremony, the questions apply to Trump as well.
Both candidates are obligated to release full medical records and tax returns. Summing up a statement from Clinton, she said that it is now time for her opponent to reach the level of disclosure that she has reached with the public for years.
Many say that we know much more about Clinton than we do any other candidate that has run for the presidency and that is why it was such a shock to find out that she did have pneumonia. She feels as though Trump should be held to this same standard.
I hope that Clinton’s sickness does not affect the election in any negative way for either party, and that she has a speedy recovery.
We will have to wait and see how this new issue of Clinton’s health will affect the overall race.
Breanna Connell is a fourth-year student. She can be reached at BC810217@wcupa.edu.