Clinton collapse: Six other prominent politicians who have fallen ill on the job

US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton isn't the only high-profile politician to have taken ill for the whole world to see.

George H Bush, the 41st president of the US, collapses at a dinner with Japanese PM Kiichi Miyazawa.

George H Bush, the 41st president of the US, collapses at a dinner with Japanese PM Kiichi Miyazawa. Source: YouTube/ABC News

As media circulates footage of US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton fainting at a 9/11 commemoration in New York City amid confirmation she is suffering from pneumonia during the last stretch of the US election campaign, SBS looks at other politicians who have collapsed in the public eye.

NEW VIDEO: Close-up of Hillary's collapse even more disturbing: pic.twitter.com/F0xqB5vow2 — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 11, 2016

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong caused a scare during his National Day Rally address on August 22 when he collapsed onto the lectern and had to be helped off the stage.
The 65-year-old cancer survivor had been on his feet for more than two hours before he began slouching and the cameras cut away to his audience during the celebratory speech which formed part of Singapore’s 51st anniversary as a republic on August 9.

US president George H Bush

While on a visit to Japan in January 1992, US President George H Bush vomited next to then Japanese Prime Minister Miyazawa Kiichi and slumped onto his lap during a banquet.

President Bush was visiting Japan as part of a 12-day trade focused trip through Asia.  

The New York Times reported that Bush’s spokesman Marlin Fitzwater had the president was battling the flu. “The President is human; he gets sick," Mr Fitzwater said after the incident.

US President George W Bush

In 2002, US President George W Bush fainted momentarily after he choked on a pretzel in his living quarters, the White House physician Dr Richard Tubb said as by Los Angeles Times.

"He fainted due to a temporary decrease in heart rate brought on by swallowing a pretzel."

Bush, who was 55 at the time, reportedly fell to the floor from a couch and suffered minor facial injuries.
US President George W. Bush waves from the steps o
Former President George W. Bush waves in Maryland after he fainted in the White House in this 2002 file photo. Source: Getty Images

Portugal President Cavaco Silva

On Portugal Day, 10 June 2014, then President Cavaco Silva was carried off the stage after he collapsed during a speech to the military.

It occurred at the same time as he was heckled by union protesters who arrived at the event, calling him to resign. He was helped off the stage by an entourage and was assessed by doctors before he returned to finish his address.

Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Djibril Bassolé

Djibril Yipènè Bassolé, former foreign minister of the West African nation of Burkina Faso, caused a stir when he fainted during a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Turkey’s capital of Ankara in May 2013.

The televised press conference shows Mr Bassolé gripping the lectern before he and the lectern crash to the ground as officials rush to his aid.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wrestled with a self-described “man flu” as he led the nation and contested the country’s top position in the middle of 2016.

Mr Turnbull punctuated election debates and press conferences with coughs, tissues and a croaky voice towards the end of a two-month long election campaign against Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.

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3 min read
Published 12 September 2016 10:35am
Source: SBS News


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