Back in 2016, another presidential candidate was ill with a respiratory illness close to the election. Back then, it was Hillary Clinton fighting off pneumonia. It’s now almost exactly four years later, and President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with coronavirus. At this time, it’s not clear if he will just have a mild case or a serious case, but Clinton’s situation can shed light on the current dynamics. Former DNC chair Donna Brazile revealed that back in 2016, she had considered starting procedures to replace Clinton with Biden after she appeared to pass out during a September 11 event.
Donna Brazile Said She Considered the Idea of Replacing Clinton on the Ticket
Clarification from dem operatives @HillaryClinton pneumonia: Expect emergency DNC meeting to CONSIDER replacement. #HillarysHealth
In November 2017, Donna Brazile revealed that she had considered initiating a process to replace Clinton when Clinton was sick, she shared in her book Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns that Put Donald Trump in the White House.
At the time of Clinton’s illness, when Brazile was the interim chair of the DNC, she did not reveal what she was considering. It wasn’t until almost a year later that she made those thoughts public, Fox News reported.
The public first learned that Clinton was battling pneumonia when she fainted on September 11, 2016, during an outside ceremony in New York. Brazile said she saw Clinton two days before at a gala and she had a wobbly walk and a “rattled cough.”
Brazile said in her book that the DNC charter gave the chair the authority to begin proceedings on replacing the nominee, and the chair was supposed to start a replacement process if the candidate ever became disabled. The final decision would require a full meeting of the DNC. The Washington Post reported on Brazile’s revelation, noting that Brazile did not have the power to make a change unilaterally.
Brazile said she had considered starting the proceedings to replace Clinton with Biden on the ticket after considering dozens of people, the Washington Post reported. She said she ultimately decided she just couldn’t do it because of “all the women in the country.”
On September 12, the day after Clinton fainted, Brazile said she got a call from Biden’s chief of staff and a call from Jeff Weaver, manager of Bernie Sanders’ campaign, along with an e-mail from Martin O’Malley.
Brazile wrote: “No matter my doubts and my fears about the election and Hillary as a candidate, I could not make good on that threat to replace her.”
BBC reported in 2016 that many members of Clinton’s campaign didn’t know about her pneumonia diagnosis because Clinton was concerned it would be exploited by campaign opponents. She was told to rest, but continued to campaign, thinking her diagnosis wouldn’t be that big of a deal.
People Who Worked with Clinton’s Campaign Said They Were ‘Shocked’ by Brazile’s Revelation
Jesse Ferguson, Democratic strategist and former Deputy National Press Secretary for Hillary for America, wrote on Medium in response to Brazile’s 2017 revelation. She wrote, in part:
We were shocked to learn the news that Donna Brazile actively considered overturning the will of the Democratic voters by attempting to replace Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine as the Democratic Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees. It is particularly troubling and puzzling that she would seemingly buy into false Russian-fueled propaganda, spread by both the Russians and our opponent, about our candidate’s health.
Donna came in to take over the DNC at a very difficult time. We were grateful to her for doing so. She is a longtime friend and colleague of many of us and has been an important leader in our party. But we do not recognize the campaign she portrays in the book.
At the time, Clinton’s doctor, Lisa R. Bardack, examined Clinton in Chappaqua after she fainted and reported that she was doing well.
She was put on antibiotics, and advised to rest and modify her schedule. While at this morning’s event, she became overheated and dehydrated. I have just examined her and she is now re-hydrated and recovering nicely.”
READ NEXT: The latest COVID-19 deaths, cases, and updates