During this year’s 9/11 tribute in New York City, presidential nominee Hillary Clinton had to leave unexpectedly, due to the increasing symptoms of her soon-to-be diagnosed pneumonia. Instead of the public showing signs of concern for her health, some in the media chose to discuss the possibility of Clinton’s death and what good it could do for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
This incident is not the first time Clinton has dealt with such hysteria. From constant media coverage to Trump’s blatant lies against her, Clinton has endured many obstacles throughout the last year with a camera following her every move.
Some say that much of her opposition comes from the fact that she’s the first woman as a major party nominee. Then how do her difficulties compare to another one of the nation’s first — President Barack Obama, the first African-American president?
Obama received plenty of criticism from voters for his race. Although false rumors about his heritage were spread through viral videos and printed flyers from emails online, social media was still not as influential as it is now. More than ever, candidates’ lives are under the microscope because the lightening speed with stories like Trump’s degrading comments about women spread on Twitter and Facebook.
And if the media is a monster, so is Clinton’s opposition, Trump. On top of being dissected by reporters, Clinton also has to endure his unrelenting wrath, weather his constant interruptions during debates and rebut his the false accusations of her.
Soon enough, Trump’s repetition of “Crooked Hillary” is something he never seems to tire of saying, however tired the phrase gets.
Though she is 100 times more honest that Trump, her supposedly “crooked” nature has been burned in every voter’s mind and is going to follow her until the presidential election in November.
A perfect storm, Trump and the media seem to work side-by-side to pick apart every mistake Clinton has made. They have made voters question her intentions and wonder whether they trust her to be in the White House.
Clinton has endured many more attacks than Obama did in his re-election due to Trump and the rising presence of social media, the two unrelenting forces of the 2016 presidential election.