It’s often not the crime that undoes a politician, it’s the attempted cover-up. In Hillary Clinton’s case there’s no real crime, of course – no one can fault her for falling ill yet still ploughing through her schedule.

On the contrary, it’s rather admirable. But what the world saw on Sunday as she fell into her car was deeply distressing. She was clearly unable to walk, propped up against a pillar and held steady by an aide. Her head wobbled, her knees buckled. And down she went.

This display of infirmity came at the very worst moment possible: a ceremony to commemorate the victims of 9/11. America feels vulnerable, it needs direction and strength. The sight of Mrs Clinton’s fall suggests that she isn’t physically capable of providing either.