Hillary Clinton does not like to remain in the shadows, except when it helps her by doing so.

After having long claimed that the concerns about Hillary’s health were fabrications of the alt-right movement and a conspiracy theory cooked up by Trump’s supporters to malign her, Clinton’s campaign had to eat its words this past Sunday when it was forced to admit that the Democratic nominee was suffering from pneumonia. In no time at all, as my fellow writer at the Inquisitr so eloquently put the other day, an online conspiracy theory became a conspiracy fact.”

What annoyed supporters of Hillary, and even those who mistrust her in a general sense owing to her long history of deceit, was the manner and the time of the announcement of the diagnosis. The announcement only came when video evidence showed Hillary buckling at the knees after a 9/11 event in New York in the morning, whereas, according to her doctor, Dr. Lisa. R. Bardack, she had been diagnosed with pneumonia as early as Friday. In fact, the Clinton camp — in what only appears a desperate move in retrospect — attributed Hillary’s apparent bad health to overheating and even said that Clinton had been coughing due to allergies before finally making the announcement late on Sunday.

Hillary Clinton 9/11 NYC pic.twitter.com/q9YnsjTxss — Zdenek Gazda (@zgazda66) September 11, 2016

So what kept Clinton’s campaign from telling the truth to the American people?

One could argue that Hillary Clinton was concerned about the impact the diagnosis would make on the presidential race. With less than two weeks to go before the first presidential debate in New York, Clinton simply cannot afford to make space for an illness. This is just the nature of the presidential race. Hillary’s schedule has been so packed over the last few days that she often gives interviews, addresses fundraisers, and attends campaign events all within the period of a day. Moreover, with Trump fanning the doubts about her health and seemingly ready to pounce on any misstep, coming out with the pneumonia diagnosis would not have been an easy a decision as it appears for Clinton.

Or would it?

For someone going through the worst unfavorable ratings of her public service career, Hillary Clinton would have actually been well-advised to tell the public about her health scare. Her campaign’s decision to hide the fact about her health has only compounded her problem. It not only makes Clinton — and her camp — appear indifferent to the truth and whether it should be told to the public, but it creates further doubts in the minds of the voters who already equate Clinton with dishonesty. If anything, it makes her look more dishonest.

Hillary Clinton is in many ways herself responsible for the controversy surrounding her health. [Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

If you think this is merely my assumption, let’s look at the facts. After Hillary had the troubling episode in New York, the Secret Service protocol dictated that she be rushed to a state-designated Level I Trauma Center. In Manhattan, that would have been the Bellevue Hospital.

Instead, as the New York Post reports, a Clinton campaign operative decided that the best way to keep her condition under the wraps was to make a detour and take Hillary to her daughter Chelsea Clinton’s apartment. That is not only breaking protocol but basically doing it to further a lie about Clinton’s health.

It is like Hillary’s camp is treating the American public like a bunch of naughty school kids who would start to throw tantrums once they have been told the headmistress is sick. Even if the kids were naughty, they would just get it. Did the Clinton camp never think about that? If Hillary considers Trump’s supporters deplorables, what example has she set by not trusting her own voters?

The result, as YouGov poll shows now, is that Americans trust Hillary less than ever. Even if she is merely suffering from pneumonia, the way Clinton’s camp handled the whole affair has undeniably led many Americans to believe that something worse is happening. It is for this reason that the post-Hillary health scare, more and more conspiracy theories about her condition are floating around online. According to the poll, 46 percent of voters do not believe that Clinton was suffering from a mild version of pneumonia and that a combination of the lung condition, allergies, and overheating led to her fainting on Sunday.

That is a frightening number for Hillary, and one, if her campaign does not become more transparent in the days to come, could even amplify and cost her dearly in the polls. If anyone is responsible for these numbers and the proliferation of the conspiracy theories about her health, it is Clinton herself.

Hey guys don't worry it's just a conspiracy theory. #HillarysBodyDouble pic.twitter.com/ePL11agHkU — Deplorable Avispar (@xAvispar) September 12, 2016

By not trusting her supporters — let alone Trump’s — Hillary Clinton made a grave mistake, and for that, Americans are only going to call her more untrustworthy, not less.

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]