Hillary Clinton said her fault was being in overdrive too much and shifting down too late amid a spell of bad health, as she took questions from the media Thursday afternoon about her tumultuous weekend and brief time away from the campaign.
“I should have taken time off earlier, I didn’t, now I have, and I’m back on the campaign trail,” Clinton told reporters in Greensboro, North Carolina on Thursday, her first day back on the stump after a bacterial infection created a viral stumble last weekend. The Democratic presidential nominee fielded questions for less than 10 minutes, briefly addressing her slumping poll numbers and international affairs. But she fielded most inquiries about her physical condition, and the manner in which it was communicated to her staff and the public.
“My senior staff knew, and information was provided to a number of people. … I didn’t want to stop, I didn’t want to quit campaigning, I certainly didn’t want to miss the 9/11 memorial. As a senator at that time, I consider it a sacred moment, and I was determined to get there. It didn’t work out,” she said. “So I got the antibiotics up and going, got the rest that I needed, and we’re going on from there.”
It was revealed this weekend that Clinton was diagnosed with pneumonia Friday morning, and her physician, Dr. Lisa Bardack, elaborated Wednesday, adding that the illness was bacterial but non-contagious. Clinton said she didn’t think there was a need “to make a big fuss about it,” but after appearing to stagger and collapse into a vehicle in Manhattan on Sunday, she wound up taking prescriptions and time off from campaigning.
She was back Thursday, delivering a speech prior to her mini press event. She walked out to James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good)” on her way to the podium.
During the Q&A, Clinton said she’s always maintained her race against Donald Trump was going to be a “tight” one, reflecting the fact that “those are the kinds of presidential elections we have in America at this point in our history.” She insisted her campaign was still in a “strong position” and focused on voter registration, motivation, and turnout—the fundamental aspects of prevailing in a close contest.
