Hillary Clinton’s abrupt exit from the Ground Zero memorial service on the 15th Anniversary of 9/11 caused a mighty uproar. The subsequent announcement that she is suffering from pneumonia has sparked controversy over her presidential ability.
The announcement of Hillary’s pneumonia has led to Republican opponent Donald Trump publicly raising questions about the Democratic candidate’s health. Trump (70), never being one to miss an opportunity to criticise his opponent, has claimed that 68 year old Clinton ‘sleeps a lot” and “lacks the strength and stamina” to be president.
When speaking in Ohio this week Trump said, “You think this is easy? In this beautiful room that is 122 degrees. It is hot, and it is always hot when I perform because crowds are so big. The rooms were not designed for this kind of crowd. I don’t know folks. You think Hillary Clinton would be able to stand up here and do this for an hour? I don’t know.”
He also added, “Now she’s lying in bed, getting better and we want her better, we want her back on the trail, right?”
The Clinton campaign have responded by releasing detailed medical information from Hillary’s doctor stating that she is “healthy and fit to serve as president” and that there are “no other underlying conditions, the pneumonia is the extent of it.” In contrast Trump is yet to share any medical information except a doctor’s letter stating that he would be “the healthiest individual ever to be elected to the presidency.” However, Trump has been criticised in relation to his health after an interview with TV doctor Dr Oz, in which Trump said he would like to lose “15 to 20 pounds”, but the issue is that he likes fast food and doesn’t exercise.
However, it is not only the health scare that is raising concern among the public – it is the secrecy surrounding the illness that is causing the most problems for the Clinton campaign, with over 60% of the US Electorate considering her dishonest and untrustworthy.
Adorescore
The Adorescore for Hillary Clinton is currently at a very negative -43 with the top high intensity emotions evoked being grief, rage and loathing. These negative emotions are mostly derived from the media’s response to Clinton’s health with the Huffington Post claiming, “Famous men were fainting long before Hillary Clinton, but nobody made a big deal out of it.” There are also negative emotions surrounding Clinton’s statement calling a segment of Trump supporters “a basket of deplorables.”
Trump’s Adorescore is currently not much higher at -36, portraying the same top emotions. A lot of the negativity surrounding the Trump campaign relates to his lack of transparency when it comes to health and tax documents. Trump has recently hit controversy regarding some shady dealings with the donations to his Trump foundation.
However both controversies surrounding the presidential candidates have not received equal coverage in the media. In fact Clinton’s health received 13.5 hours of coverage whilst Trump’s Trump Foundation scandal received less than an hour’s coverage.
Cable news spent 13.5 hours on Clinton's health, less than 1 hour on the Trump Foundation https://t.co/gKOM4mniuE pic.twitter.com/4kXVObLF0o
— Media Matters (@mmfa) September 14, 2016
The uneven coverage has proved frustrating for Clinton supporters. One Twitter user said, “ I think there is a double standard with the media coverage. I don’t think the press are giving her a fair chance. I don’t understand why the press won’t look at why Trump won’t give his tax records out.”
Barack Obama was quick to defend Hillary and criticised Trump saying, “This is a guy who spent 70 years on this earth showing no concern for working people. He spent most of his life trying to stay far away from working people. He wasn’t going to let you on his golf course.”
President Obama vigorously defended Hillary Clinton, saying she had been held to unfair standards https://t.co/x8ssWmYIZJ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 14, 2016
Since the announcement of Hillary’s illness, Bernie Sanders has been trending online. Democrats are starting to worry that Clinton might lose to Trump holding only a 2.7 point lead. The polls show the Vermont Senator Sanders consistently beating Trump by 10 points.
Bernie Sanders’ Adorescore is currently at 33, which is significantly higher than that of Trump and Clinton. The significant emerging emotions are admiration and ecstasy with higher levels of trust and passion.
#BringBernieBack! We need his energy, is passion, his love for working families & his compassion for those suffering pic.twitter.com/dIblgvO7Hs
— ProgressiveViews (@GottaBernNow) September 12, 2016
If Clinton were to drop out Bernie would not automatically run. However, it would most likely be between Sanders and Democratic VP candidate Tim Kaine.
We won’t know the outcome of this rollercoaster campaign until November, but with two candidates as controversial as Trump and Clinton we can be sure it won’t be a dull one.
