The worst gaffes confirm preexisting narratives. That’s why Hillary Clinton’s recent “coughing fit” matters politically. Donald Trump has taken a lot of heat for raising questions about her health, but he has planted the seed of doubt in the public’s collective mindset. Sometimes a cough is just a cough, but Trump has turned this very human function into a gaffe. And now, when Clinton demonstrates any sort of frailty, she is perceived as weak.

Clinton is aware of this, of course, and so Trump’s comments also constitute a sort of psychological warfare. Anyone can catch a cold, but Trump has created a world in which doing so only confirms our suspicions about Clinton’s health. Imagine the sort of pressure this puts on Clinton. This could mess with your mind, undermine your confidence.

Even the fact that we have collectively branded this a “coughing fit” is bad news for Clinton. The word “fit,” in this context, brings to mind convulsions, and is probably most often associated with an epileptic seizure. “Coughing fit” has much more panache than “coughing attack.” The term is sticky, and that means the negative connotation has a better chance of sticking to Clinton.

This tactic is not a new thing, either. Back in May, I quoted an interview with a guy named Michael Malice that went like this:

I’m predicting this one right now: If she has one of his coughing fits on stage, he is going to attack her rapid fire. And she’s literally going to be unable to speak. And he’s going to say things like, ‘Look, she’s dying in front of us.’ ‘Look, I like grammas, but they should be in a home, not the president.’ ‘She’s weak. She’s pathetic.’ … And he’s like: ‘Let’s take a break, cause she needs a breather. This woman is not well.’ That will be the moment that destroys her campaign. He’s going to eat her alive in those debates.

I still think Clinton will more than hold her own against Trump, but she does find herself in a precarious state. What if she comes down with a common cold the day of a debate? Remember, a young and all too vigorous Bill Clinton literally lost his voice during the final leg of the 1992 election. What are the ramifications if that happens to Hillary?