How a meme made Hillary Clinton's health a campaign issue
Of all the possible controversies to have arisen during Hillary Clinton's presidential run, it is somewhat surprising that her health became one of the biggest — the subject was even front-and-center in a Donald Trump campaign ad. But how exactly Clinton's "peculiar travel habits" and "lengthy naps" morphed out of seemingly regular ol' travel and naps is another story, and one that was carefully crafted on social media using the same kind of thinking that generates viral memes.
One of the major architects is Mike Cernovich, an influential alt-right Twitter user who clarified "I'm not a pure troll" to The New Yorker. "Pure trolls are amoral. I use trolling tactics to build my brand," he explained. And in doing so, Cernovich has also built the political conversation:
Read more about how one tiny troll can influence the entire presidential race at The New Yorker.
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Editor's note: This post originally misstated the name of the Twitter user who spoke to The New Yorker. It has since been corrected. We regret the error.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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