Hillary Clinton really hates drinking water


After the pneumonia diagnosis heard 'round the world, Hillary Clinton's campaign team has been making the rounds Monday to assure the public that their candidate is perfectly healthy, aside from a minor bout of the common lung infection. Campaign spokesman Brian Fallon acknowledged Monday on MSNBC that Team Clinton "could have handled [the diagnosis] better in terms of providing more information" after it emerged that Clinton was diagnosed with pneumonia Friday, even though that information was not disclosed until Sunday, while campaign manager Robby Mook said Clinton would be releasing more detailed health records later this week.
But for those looking for a reason for Clinton's dehydration beyond pneumonia, the real answer may not be so nefarious: Clinton reportedly really hates drinking water. Two Clinton staffers revealed to Politico on Monday that getting the candidate to abide by the body's basic hydration needs is shockingly difficult:
Clinton's pneumonia isn't severe, according to two people with direct knowledge of the candidate's condition, and she is expected to return to the campaign trail as early as this week. The real issue is chronic dehydration, exacerbated by her lung problem and Clinton's reluctance to drink water, which has become a source of tension with her staff. "She won't drink water, and you try telling Hillary Clinton she has to drink water," said a person in her orbit — who described a frenzied rehydration mission that included multiple bottles of water and Gatorade. [Politico]
Clinton's personal physician Dr. Lisa Bardack revealed Sunday that Clinton has "been experiencing a cough related to allergies" for some time. Bardack said Clinton was prescribed antibiotics to treat the pneumonia and advised to temporarily curtail her campaign schedule — but it appears Clinton could benefit from a formal prescription for Poland Spring, too. Read the whole inside story of Clinton's health sputter at Politico.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirements
Speed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC
-
US kills 11 on 'drug-carrying boat' off Venezuela
Speed Read Trump claimed those killed in the strike were 'positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists' shipping drugs to the US
-
Trump vows to send federal forces to Chicago, Baltimore
Speed Read The announcement followed a California judge ruling that Trump's LA troop deployment was illegal