41% of Americans believe Clinton’s health is bad – poll
US voters are increasingly convinced that Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton has health issues, a new poll showed. The issue was again brought up after Clinton’s health scare during a 9/11 anniversary commemoration on Sunday.
The Morning Consult poll taken on Monday and Tuesday showed that roughly eight in 10 Americans have heard at least something about Clinton’s health concerns. Today just 22 percent of people in the US believe that her health is above average, down from 29 percent in late August.
The number of those who believe Clinton’s health to be below average rose from 26 percent in August to 41 percent this week, the poll showed.
The views about the Democratic nominee’s health condition are strongly affected by party allegiance, according to the survey. Almost seven in 10 Republicans – 68 percent – said Clinton’s health was below average, compared to 16 percent of Democrats.
The issue, however, may not have as big an impact on the vote as Clinton’s Republican rival Donald Trump may hope. Forty-four percent of voters said the Democrat’s health will negatively impact her ability to lead the US, while just a quarter said the health issue will make them less likely to vote for her.
On the other hand, Clinton’s weekend stumble and her team’s subsequent suspension of campaigning over what was reported as a case of pneumonia didn’t help change people’s minds about her trustworthiness, the poll showed. Fifty percent of respondents believe she gave false information about her health to the public.
US voters believe that both candidates should be more transparent about their health, with eight in 10 saying they would like to see Clinton and Trump release a letter from their physician confirming they are fit enough to serve as president. The same requirement for mental health is favored by 78 percent of Americans.
The majority of Americans believe that both Clinton and Trump would survive a four-year term as US leader. The poll also shows that, in the event that neither Clinton nor Trump were able to complete their terms, Republican VP candidate Mike Pence is viewed as more capable than Clinton’s VP nominee, Tim Kaine. Forty-three percent said Trump’s running mate Mike Pence is prepared to serve as president, while 38 percent said the same of Democrat VP nominee Tim Kaine.
