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Editor’s Note: Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM’s radio’s daily program “The Dean Obeidallah Show” and a columnist for The Daily Beast. Follow him @TheDeansreport. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.
Story highlights
Dean Obeidallah: In raising bogus questions about Hillary Clinton's health, Trump has drawn scrutiny to his own health
He says even surrogates like Karl Rove, Rudy Giuliani can't explain away a questionable bill of health from Trump's doctor
CNN
—
Did Donald Trump actually believe that raising baseless accusations about the health of Hillary Clinton, who is two years his junior, will somehow cause people to stop supporting her and side with him or a third party candidate?
Even Trump’s new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, seemed to disavow this new health smear, telling CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday night that the approach by campaign surrogates was a “strategy” that was not her “style.”
Unfortunately, perhaps, for Conway, plenty of Trump talking heads have been hammering this bogus point for days — people like former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and even the candidate himself, who earlier this week asserted that Clinton lacks the “mental and physical stamina” to be President.
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In fact, just hours after Conway’s comments on CNN, former Trump denouncer (and now Trump supporter) Karl Rove appeared on Fox News to launch a flurry of accusations that Clinton was not physically well, even using white boards scrawled with talking points as a visual aid.
And in a bizarre — and somewhat “off-message” – installment of this cooked-up drama, on Wednesday morning Trump surrogate Ben Carson called Trump himself “elderly” (along with Clinton) and declared that they should both “disclose their medical history.”
Which brings us to how this line of attack on Clinton has not hurt her – since there’s zero objective evidence she has any medical issue – but rather produced a backlash that has hurt Trump.
It has caused the media to again focus on Trump’s own health issues.
There is, of course, the media scrutiny of the truthfulness and accuracy of the “doctor’s letter” Trump produced in 2015 that asserted the candidate was in good health.
For one thing, the letter’s over-the-top, salesman-like language and conclusions sound like something Trump could have written himself. It raised only a little attention when it was released back then and was discussed briefly during the primaries but otherwise was quickly forgotten. (In contrast, by the way, Clinton released a far more detailed two-page letter from her physician.)
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But now thanks to Trump, the media is taking a closer look. On Wednesday, CNN’s Sanjay Gupta noted that Trump’s physician, Harold Bornstein, who signed the letter, has “questionable” qualifications. Gupta explained that Bornstein, who claimed in that letter he was a member of the College of American Gastroenterology, actually had not been involved with that organization for over 20 years.
And Gupta and others have noted that the letter contains language not typically associated with actual medical doctors. One example is the hyperbolic boast that Trump’s lab results were “astonishingly excellent.” Also odd was Bornstein noting that Trump’s test results were “positive,” which in physician-speak is not good (good test results are negative.)
The closing line? Well, when was the last time you heard a doctor prognosticate something like this? “If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”
In her own interview Wednesday night with Conway, Rachel Maddow scoffed at the veracity of this letter and pressed Trump to release more records: “If he was elected, Donald Trump would be the oldest person to ever be sworn in as president … doesn’t he owe it to the American people to release an actual medical report, a more credible, more complete statement?”
(Perhaps Trump can produce his medical records along with his tax returns.)
There are two other points that Trump’s attack on this medical front raises:
First, it reminds Americans about Trump’s self-professed medical disability, which allowed him to avoid serving in the Vietnam War: The wealthy candidate, who loves to talk about the military and our veterans, didn’t serve in America’s military when he had the chance, and for questionable reasons.
The finding of Trump’s doctor that his patient, at 70, is in “extraordinary” health — better even, presumably, than when he needed a medical deferment in his 20s – may be hard for voters to swallow.
Second, this baseless attack on Clinton’s health reeks of the same conspiracy theory junk we have heard before from him. For example, who can forget Trump’s jaw-dropping claim last May that Ted Cruz’s father was somehow involved in the assassination of President Kennedy?
Even the way Trump’s cheerleader-in-chief Rudy Giuliani recently tried to support his claim that Clinton was very ill smacked of typical conspiracy fare: “Go online and put down ‘Hillary Clinton illness’ and take a look at the videos for yourself.”
Hillary Clinton accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28, 2016. The former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state was the first woman to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party.
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Before marrying Bill Clinton, she was Hillary Rodham. Here she attends Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Her commencement speech at Wellesley's graduation ceremony in 1969 attracted national attention. After graduating, she attended Yale Law School.
Lee Balterman/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Rodham was a lawyer on the House Judiciary Committee, whose work led to impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon in 1974.
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In 1975, Rodham married Bill Clinton, whom she met at Yale Law School. He became the governor of Arkansas in 1978. In 1980, the couple had a daughter, Chelsea.
DONALD R. BROYLES/AP
Arkansas' first lady, now using the name Hillary Rodham Clinton, wears her inaugural ball gown in 1985.
A. Lynn/AP
The Clintons celebrate Bill's inauguration in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1991. He was governor from 1983 to 1992, when he was elected President.
Danny Johnston/AP
Bill Clinton comforts his wife on the set of "60 Minutes" after a stage light broke loose from the ceiling and knocked her down in January 1992.
CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
In June 1992, Clinton uses a sewing machine designed to eliminate back and wrist strain. She had just given a speech at a convention of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union.
LYNNE SLADKY/AP
During the 1992 presidential campaign, Clinton jokes with her husband's running mate, Al Gore, and Gore's wife, Tipper, aboard a campaign bus.
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Clinton accompanies her husband as he takes the oath of office in January 1993.
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The Clintons share a laugh on Capitol Hill in 1993.
Clinton unveils the renovated Blue Room of the White House in 1995.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Clinton waves to the media in January 1996 as she arrives for an appearance before a grand jury in Washington. The first lady was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas. The Clintons' business investment was investigated, but ultimately they were cleared of any wrongdoing.
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The Clintons hug as Bill is sworn in for a second term as President.
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The first lady holds up a Grammy Award, which she won for her audiobook "It Takes a Village" in 1997.
KATHY WILLENS/AP
The Clintons dance on a beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 1998. Later that month, Bill Clinton was accused of having a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
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Clinton looks on as her husband discusses the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 26, 1998. Clinton declared, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." In August of that year, Clinton testified before a grand jury and admitted to having "inappropriate intimate contact" with Lewinsky, but he said it did not constitute sexual relations because they had not had intercourse. He was impeached in December on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
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The first family walks with their dog, Buddy, as they leave the White House for a vacation in August 1998.
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President Clinton makes a statement at the White House in December 1998, thanking members of Congress who voted against his impeachment. The Senate trial ended with an acquittal in February 1999.
SUSAN WALSH/AP
Clinton announces in February 2000 that she will seek the U.S. Senate seat in New York. She was elected later that year.
KATHY WILLENS/AP
Clinton makes her first appearance on the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
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Sen. Clinton comforts Maren Sarkarat, a woman who lost her husband in the September 11 terrorist attacks, during a ground-zero memorial in October 2001.
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Clinton holds up her book "Living History" before a signing in Auburn Hills, Michigan, in 2003.
BILL PUGLIANO/AP
Clinton and another presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, applaud at the start of a Democratic debate in 2007.
Ronda Churchill/AP
Obama and Clinton talk on the plane on their way to a rally in Unity, New Hampshire, in June 2008. She had recently ended her presidential campaign and endorsed Obama.
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Obama is flanked by Clinton and Vice President-elect Joe Biden at a news conference in Chicago in December 2008. He had designated Clinton to be his secretary of state.
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Clinton, as secretary of state, greets Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a meeting just outside Moscow in March 2010.
Alexei Nikolsky/RIA Novosti/POOL/AP
The Clintons pose on the day of Chelsea's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky in July 2010.
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In this photo provided by the White House, Obama, Clinton, Biden and other members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
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Clinton checks her Blackberry inside a military plane after leaving Malta in October 2011. In 2015, The New York Times reported that Clinton exclusively used a personal email account during her time as secretary of state. The account, fed through its own server, raises security and preservation concerns. Clinton later said she used a private domain out of "convenience," but admits in retrospect "it would have been better" to use multiple emails.
Kevin Lamarque/Pool/AP
Clinton arrives for a group photo before a forum with the Gulf Cooperation Council in March 2012. The forum was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Brendan Smialowski/AP
Obama and Clinton bow during the transfer-of-remains ceremony marking the return of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who were killed in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012.
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
Clinton ducks after a woman threw a shoe at her while she was delivering remarks at a recycling trade conference in Las Vegas in 2014.
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Clinton, now running for President again, performs with Jimmy Fallon during a "Tonight Show" skit in September 2015.
Douglas Gorenstein/NBC/Getty Images
Clinton testifies about the Benghazi attack during a House committee meeting in October 2015. "I would imagine I have thought more about what happened than all of you put together," she said during the 11-hour hearing. "I have lost more sleep than all of you put together. I have been wracking my brain about what more could have been done or should have been done." Months earlier, Clinton had acknowledged a "systemic breakdown" as cited by an Accountability Review Board, and she said that her department was taking additional steps to increase security at U.S. diplomatic facilities.
Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty Images
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders shares a lighthearted moment with Clinton during a Democratic presidential debate in October 2015. It came after Sanders gave his take on the Clinton email scandal. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails. Let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America."
ADAM ROSE/CNN
Clinton is reflected in a teleprompter during a campaign rally in Alexandria, Virginia, in October 2015.
Evan Vucci/AP
Clinton walks on her stage with her family after winning the New York primary in April.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
After Clinton became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, this photo was posted to her official Twitter account. "To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want -- even president," Clinton said. "Tonight is for you."
@hillaryclinton/Twitter
Obama hugs Clinton after he gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The president said Clinton was ready to be commander in chief. "For four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment and her discipline," he said, referring to her stint as his secretary of state.
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Clinton arrives at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony in New York on September 11. Clinton, who was diagnosed with pneumonia two days before, left early after feeling ill. A video appeared to show her stumble as Secret Service agents helped her into a van.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
Clinton addresses a campaign rally in Cleveland on November 6, two days before Election Day. She went on to lose Ohio -- and the election -- to her Republican opponent, Donald Trump.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
After conceding the presidency to Trump in a phone call earlier, Clinton addresses supporters and campaign workers in New York on Wednesday, November 9. Her defeat marked a stunning end to a campaign that appeared poised to make her the first woman elected US president.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
This may come as a shock to Giuliani, but not everything on the Internet is true, especially when it just leads you to an echo chamber link of Giuliani saying the same thing. (For a helpful look at all this, check out Stephen Colbert’s takedown, and don’t miss the clip of Trump and Giuliani’s little performance with the former New York city mayor in drag.)
Trump’s outlandish attacks may have helped him in the GOP primary but outside his base, it’s hard to believe they will be viewed with anything but alarm about the man who wants to be President.
What else will backfire for Trump? Will his next attack on Clinton make us re-examine his bigoted comments about Latinos and Muslims? Or maybe cause us to revisit the allegations of the class action fraud case pending against him in connection with Trump University?
Given Trump’s track record, it’s entirely possible.