A video showing Donald Trump mocking Hillary Clinton after she fell ill with pneumonia during the 2016 campaign has gone viral after the president announced that he has tested positive for coronavirus. Trump’s attack took place exactly four years, to the day, before his positive test.
Trump took to Twitter in the early morning hours on Friday to announce that both he and first lady Melania Trump had contracted the virus. This led to an outpouring of best wishes from political figures within the United States and more from world leaders. However, the announcement also spurred some sharp criticism among those who believe that he put those around him at risk by failing to adopt proper precautionary measures like wearing a mask and requiring social distancing at his crowded rallies.
There was even some gloating from his opponents, which led to sharp pushback from Republican public figures and other defenders of the president.
But many pointed out that Trump himself was guilty of gloating about a political opponent’s health setback. When Clinton contracted pneumonia late in the 2016 campaign and was seen having difficulty standing at a public event, he mocked her swaying and labored movement. He also implied that her sickness showed she was too weak to be a great leader.
Four years ago, today: Donald Trump was mocking Hillary Clinton for contracting an illness – pneumonia – and implying that it showed she was weak. https://t.co/wywh62CntI
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) October 2, 2020
The attacks on the former secretary of state drew loud applause from the crowd at Trump’s rally and prompted pushback from critics, which has resurfaced now that he has fallen ill. Reports on Friday indicated that he was suffering light symptoms of the virus, and was staying put within the White House.
Some pointed out the disparity in the reactions to each leader falling ill. A number of Trump’s supporters on the right have demanded that people apologize for mocking the president’s diagnosis but said nothing about his statements about his Democratic opponent four years prior.
“People this morning are sharing a video from 2016 when Trump mocked Hillary Clinton for contracting pneumonia,” tweeted Mother Jones reporter David Corn. “Remember how Fox& his supporters were aghast at Trump for that rude & low-class act and demanded he wish her well? (Good luck, Mr. President.)”
Critics noted that the Republican candidate’s mockery came on October 2, 2016, exactly four years before he announced his own COVID-19 test.
A number of others close to Trump have tested positive this week as well, including Hope Hicks and Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel, though it was not clear if these had a connection to his coronavirus diagnosis.
