A day after Hillary Clinton nearly collapsed to the ground under illness, some in the national media are already dismissing the episode as a non-incident or as an overblown news story rife with sexism.
Liberal MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell said during a 10-minute segment on his show Monday night that coverage of the illness, which Clinton’s campaign chalked up to dehydration and pneumonia, showed that the media had “lost their minds.”
“I, for one, don’t really care about a president’s health,” he said. “And when I thought about Jack Kennedy, who had more serious health problems than he ever let the press know about, I realize that health might have nothing to do with how long a presidency lasts. … None of us know when our last day is coming.”
CNN’s international correspondent Christiane Amanpour asked in a web segment, “Can’t a girl have a sick day or two?” She said that the media “are having a field day, off to the races with another debilitating case of indignant outrage,” and said reporters should focus instead on Donald Trump releasing his tax returns.
On Sunday Clinton was seen on video apparently losing her balance as she prematurely exited a 9/11 memorial event in New York. In the video, Clinton is seen standing in front of a van, with aides and Secret Service agents nearby, helping to hold her steady and then lift her into the vehicle.
The campaign said later that Clinton had felt ill during the 9/11 event and revealed that she had been diagnosed days prior with pneumonia.
The incident came a week after Clinton suffered lengthy coughing fits during a campaign rally and again during a press conference.
Trump has also used Clinton’s physical fitness as an attack against her, saying she lacks the “stamina” to be president.
Former New York Times Executive Editor Jill Abramson said in an interview with the BBC on Monday that coverage of Clinton’s health issues smacks of sexism.
“I have to say I think there’s an element of sexism in how this is being over-covered at this point,” she said. “I think the idea of a woman as weak is a sexist stereotype. And I think the incident where she needs assistance to get into the van and there’s a video of that that’s been endlessly replayed, I think that feeds that stereotype, which politically isn’t helpful but I think is unfair.”
Veteran journalist Eleanor Clift of the Daily Beast, without citing any examples, wrote that Trump is “not exactly a picture of health” and that Clinton is being covered unfairly.
“The point is,” she said, “that we as a society give the guys a lot more leeway than we give the women. … The point is we’re not sure what to make of an older woman with ambition vying for the most powerful job in the world.”
Both Clinton and Trump have been criticized over a lack of transparency regarding their health.
It is well known that Clinton in 2012 suffered a concussion and that she is medicated to regulate her thyroid. Trump has released only a short letter from his doctor in 2015 that said he had “extraordinary” health. He said, however, that he recently had a physical and that he will share the results this week on an episode of “The Dr. Oz Show.”
