Will Clinton's fall be defining image of campaign?

Will Clinton's fall be defining image of campaign?

The sight of Hillary Clinton swaying with the effort to stay upright and then stumbling after her knees appear to buckle underneath her will, rightly or wrongly, be one of the defining videos of this election.

It will have delighted Donald Trump's supporters, who have long peddled and played to speculation and rumour that Mrs Clinton is hiding her poor health from voters.

They've pointed to footage in which they claim her head is moving strangely, claiming she suffered a traumatic brain injury from a 2012 concussion and subsequent blood clot.

They've highlighted recent coughing fits as evidence of health problems.

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Even Mr Trump himself has said that his rival doesn't have the mental or physical stamina to be president, and is demanding her medical records be released.

Up until now this has been a line of attack dismissed by many as just another wacky anti-Clinton conspiracy theory.

But Sunday's video changed all that.

It doesn't matter that Mrs Clinton's doctor has released a much more detailed statement about the candidate's health than Mr Trump's physician did.

It doesn't matter that common sense suggests it is unreasonable for anyone to demand that two candidates aged 68 (Clinton) and 70 (Trump) could possibly be in perfect health.

It also doesn't really matter that there could be a straightforward explanation for the incident.

She takes hay fever medication and anti-coagulants.

It was hot and humid on Sunday morning.

She could be really tired after over a year of relentless campaigning.

She is a human being who doesn't feel very well for any or all or none of the above reasons.

It doesn't matter because in politics, perception is everything.

And real or perceived serious health problems are potentially disqualifying issues during campaign season.

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The video of Mrs Clinton's wobble and stumble will, whether you agree it should or not, add credibility to Mr Trump's assertion that Mrs Clinton isn't strong enough to be commander in chief.

So where this story goes, and how it affects the coming weeks, will come down to the extent to which Mrs Clinton and her team are successful in managing perception.

They will try to convince the American public that Sunday's incident was neither serious nor evidence of some bigger problem.

Quite how the fiercely private Democratic nominee will go about achieving this is now the subject of furious speculation.

Carry on as normal and pray it never happens again? Pack the schedule with public appearances? One-on-one interviews on the subject? Release all medical records? Hide away to ensure recovery from whatever happened?

One can only imagine the tortured debates going on inside the Clinton campaign bubble right now.

Mr Trump and his supporters will do their best to prevent them succeeding in their mission.

An awful lot is riding on it.