Former US President Bill Clinton, 78, rushed to hospital and undergoing testing
FORMER President Bill Clinton has been rushed to the hospital, it has been confirmed.
Clinton, 78, is undergoing medical tests at Georgetown University Medical Centre in Washington DC, his former deputy chief of staff has said.
It is understood he has developed a fever, but the situation is “not an emergency”.
A spokesperson for Clinton wrote on social media: “President Clinton was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center this afternoon for testing and observation.
“He remains in good spirits and deeply appreciates the excellent care he is receiving.”
Clinton, a Democrat who served two terms as president from January 1993 until January 2001, addressed the party’s National Convention (DNC) in Chicago this summer.
He campaigned ahead of November’s election for the unsuccessful White House bid of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
Clinton shocked his supporters during his speech with his older appearance and hoarse voice on day three of the DNC.
He spoke into the microphone with a dominant tone, reverberating throughout the stadium.
But despite the power in his voice, there was a hoarse, scratchy quality that was hard to ignore for some viewers.
Some wondered if Clinton was sick — when President Joe Biden had displayed a raspy voice at June’s presidential debate against Trump, it turned out he had Covid.
“Does Bill Clinton have Covid?” an X user asked. “Why tf does he sound like that?”
Another person called it “jarring” to see Clinton, 78, in old age “with his voice weakened.”
“Bill Clinton does not sound good,” a third person wrote.
“Hasn’t for a while, sounding older than he is, and he’s not exactly young these days.”
The 42nd president addressed the convention to cast his support for Vice President Kamala Harris but his supporters were focused on the sound of his voice rather than his words.
In the years since Clinton left the White House, he’s faced some health scares.
In 2004, he underwent quadruple bypass surgery after experiencing prolonged chest pains and shortness of breath.
Clinton returned to the hospital for surgery for a partially collapsed lung in 2005, and in 2010 he had a pair of stents implanted in a coronary artery.
Clinton responded by embracing a largely vegan diet that saw him lose weight and report improved health.
In 2021, the former president was hospitalized for six days in California while being treated for an infection that was unrelated to COVID-19, when the pandemic was still near its height.
An aide to the former president said then that Clinton had a urological infection that spread to his bloodstream, but was on the mend and never went into septic shock, a potentially life-threatening condition.
They said Clinton was in an intensive care section of the hospital at that time, but was not receiving ICU care.