An ailing Hillary Clinton has enlisted the help of a body double in an attempt to convince naysayers she is well enough to run for the Presidency.
At least that is a theory that internet conspiracy theorists have seized upon following Clinton’s recent pneumonia diagnosis.
The Democratic presidential nominee was forced to leave a 9/11 ceremony on Sunday early due to feeling “overheated”.
Footage reveals the 68-year-old appearing to sway and stumble as staff members steady her and help her to her van.
However, later that day the former secretary of state was filmed emerging from her daughter’s nearby apartment, brightly telling reporters she was “feeling great” and even posing for a photograph with a little girl.
And therein lies the rub.
Being that Clinton has been diagnosed with pneumonia and prescribed antibiotics, armchair internet detectives are asking how she could possibly be performing spritely grandmotherly duties just hours after appearing so unwell.
The answer? The Hillary Clinton who appeared so happy and healthy after being helped into her car is an imposter – a body double planted by her team to throw the world off the truth.
[N.B. the ‘truth’ seems sketchy at best and ranges from grave medical diagnoses to the theory that Clinton has actually been dead for some time.]
The “evidence” of this deception is cited in alleged differences in Clinton’s weight, hand gestures and nose shape, all of which were supposedly visible during her second appearance on Sunday.
Much has been made of Clinton’s health in the run up to the elections, with her opponent Donald Trump openly telling supporters she “lacks the mental and physical stamina” to serve as president.
Clinton responded by poking fun at the idea on Jimmy Kimmel Live last month by jokingly opening a pickle jar as proof of her vigour.
Speculation about the grandmother-of-two’s health dates back to well before she announced her second White House campaign. Republican strategist Karl Rove called a concussion Clinton sustained in 2012 a “serious health episode” and suggested two years later she may have suffered a brain injury.
Last week, Clinton had an extensive coughing fit during a Labor Day rally in Cleveland, making it difficult for her to speak for about two minutes. She drank water and took a lozenge at the podium, going on to finish her remarks.
She also struggled with a cough during a question-and-answer session with reporters aboard her campaign plane last week. She said she suffers from seasonal allergies and had increased her dosage of antihistamines.
In a campaign podcast last month, Clinton said she does yoga and walks on the treadmill to stay fit. Trump, who famously dines regularly on fast food, has said he gets most of his exercise from playing golf and speaking at a podium during his campaign rallies.
Clinton’s supporters have dismissed questions about her health by pointing to her globe-trotting schedule as secretary of state and lengthy appearance before Congress investigating the 2012 Benghazi attack, in which she sat for 11 hours.
Asked last week if she was concerned about “conspiracy theories” related to her health, Clinton said she wasn’t.
“There are so many of them,” she said, “I’ve lost track of them.”