Hillary Clinton Admits Infamous Near-Fainting Episode at 9/11 Memorial Was a 'Mistake' — After Ignoring Doctors' Orders to Stop Campaigning
Hillary Clinton reflected on her near-fainting incident from 2016.
Oct. 16 2026, Published 2:46 p.m. ET
Hillary Clinton finally addressed her near-fainting spell from 2016.
The 78-year-old owned up to the incident when she nearly collapsed at the 9/11 Memorial, admitting her doctor had already warned her to take it easy, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Clinton Admits Near-Fainting Spell Was 'Mistake'
Clinton defied doctor's orders.
Clinton was campaigning against President Donald Trump at the time. She was spotted on video being led by her team into a black sprinter van near Ground Zero. A speaker at the event could be heard addressing the crowd in the background as Clinton stumbled toward the vehicle. Those around her quickly attempted to prop her up.
10 years later, Clinton spoke with Kara Swisher on their new joint podcast, admitting she was diagnosed with pneumonia and the doctors wanted her to take "five or six days off."
The former secretary of state added, "I said, ‘I can’t do that.’ And my doctor said, ‘Well, that’s what you should do.’ And I thought, ‘Well, yeah, that’s what I should do.’ But I’m campaigning, and I have to show up on 9/11 because it means a lot to me since, as you know, I was a senator (during the attacks). So, I kept going, which was a mistake.
2016 Incident Compared to James Talarico's Absence
James Talarico was absent from the campaign trail.
She further compared her health mishap to a more recent event – Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico’s nine-day absence from the campaign trail.
Talarico, who is set to face-off against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the November midterm election, came down with the flu and temporarily took time away from his duties.
A rumor rapidly spread that Talarico was secretly admitted to a mental health facility in Ohio. However, Clinton and Swisher were adamant that the claim was "easily disproven."
Clinton Turns on Trump's Health
Clinton pushed blame over media frenzy onto Trump.
She further reflected on the media's frenzy with her own medical mishap from 2016, claiming it was "papering social media, papering traditional media."
Clinton also addressed concerns at the time that she was "dying" or "lying" about her health, which were largely propagated by Trump and his supporters.
"This is from a guy who has never given us an honest medical report ever. Ever," she said of Trump.
The POTUS' health has also been shrouded in controversy despite his claims that he is in great health.
Trump Spokesperson Disses Clinton
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Davis Ingle encouraged Clinton to move on.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle responded to Clinton's remarks, urging her to move on from the 2016 election.
“President Trump’s sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration, when Democrats and the legacy media intentionally covered up Joe Biden’s serious mental and physical decline from the American people," he said.
“President Trump is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises, and he remains in excellent health," the statement continued. "Meanwhile, Crooked Hillary Clinton is still whining about her spectacular 2016 election defeat. It’s time for Hillary to move on.”
