Clinton told to rest after ‘overheating’
An ill Hillary Clinton abruptly left a 9/11 anniversary ceremony yesterday and needed to be held up by three people before she appeared to stumble off a kerb and was helped into a van. Several hours later, her campaign revealed she had been diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday and advised to rest.
Less than two months from Election Day, it was an unwanted visual for Clinton as she tries to project the strength and vigour needed for one of the world’s most demanding jobs.
In a statement, Clinton’s doctor said the former secretary of state had become overheated and dehydrated at the event in lower Manhattan. ‘‘I have just examined her and she is now rehydrated and recovering nicely,’’ Dr Lisa Bardack said.
The physician said Clinton has had an allergy-related cough, and that during a follow-up examination Friday, the candidate was diagnosed with pneumonia, put on antibiotics, advised to rest and modify her schedule.
Spokesman Nick Merrill said Clinton had gone to her daughter Chelsea’s nearby apartment, but refused to say whether the former secretary of state had required medical attention.
Clinton exited the apartment on her own shortly before noon. She waved to reporters and said, ‘‘I’m feeling great. It’s a beautiful day in New York.’’
In the meantime, a video surfaced on Twitter that showed Clinton being held up by aides as a black van pulls up. She stumbles and appears to fall off the kerb as she is helped inside.
After leaving her daughter’s home, Clinton was driven to her home in Chappaqua, New York. She later called off plans to fly to California for two days of fundraising, a public campaign and an appearance on Ellen Degeneres’ talk show.
Trump, who attended the same event marking the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, was noticeably restrained. Asked by a reporter about Clinton’s health incident, Trump said, ‘‘I don’t know anything.’’
The incident compounds an already difficult stretch for Clinton as the presidential race enters its final stretch. Despite Trump’s numerous missteps, the race remains close.
Clinton is sure to face new questions about whether she’s physically fit for the presidency. Trump and his supporters have been hinting at potential health issues for months, questioning Clinton’s stamina when she takes routine days off the campaign trail and reviving questions about a concussion she sustained in December 2012 after fainting. Her doctor attributed that episode to a stomach virus and dehydration.
Clinton’s doctor reported she is fully recovered from the concussion, which led to temporary double vision and discovery of a blood clot in a vein in the space between her brain and skull. Clinton also has experienced deep vein thrombosis, a clot usually in the leg, and takes the blood thinner Coumadin to prevent new clots.
Clinton spent about 90 minutes at the 9/11 event yesterday.
The weather was warm and humid in New York yesterday. Democrat Congressman Joe Crowley said he spent time before the ceremony chatting with Clinton and ‘‘she did not seem out of the ordinary at all’’.
‘‘It was stiflingly hot. I was sweating through my shirt,’’ Crowley said. ‘‘I had to leave myself. I drank about a gallon of water.’’
Trump’s personal physician, Dr Harold Bornstein, has said the Republican presidential nominee is in excellent health both physically and mentally. But the 70-year-old has refused to release his own health records.