'There was no sniffles': Trump denies sniffing throughout presidential debate
Was Donald Trump sniffling throughout his first presidential showdown with Hillary Clinton Monday night? "Absolutely not," the candidate said the morning after the debate.
“I have no allergies. No cold,” Trump said on US news program Fox & Friends.
“There was no sniffles,” he said.
Trump has recently attacked Hillary Clinton’s health, using his Democratic rival’s recent bout of pneumonia to question whether she has the “stamina” to be president.
Mainstream media never covered Hillary’s massive “hacking”
or coughing attack, yet it is #1 trending. What’s up?— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 6, 2016
But on Monday night, it was the Republican presidential nominee who roused suspicion, and plenty of jokes, on social media, which couldn’t help but notice the apparent sounds of congestion coming from Trump’s mic throughout the debate.
Before long, #TrumpSniffles was trending on Twitter, and the tweets continued well into the following morning.
Why won't Trump just tell us about his pneumonia?
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) September 27, 2016
Does Trump have the sniffles? A cold? Pneumonia? Where are his health records?
— Andrea Stone (@andreastonez) September 27, 2016
Many people are saying that @realDonaldTrump's #sniffles are the result of a cocaine problem. Many, many people. Credible sources. #Debates
— W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) September 27, 2016
Donald Trump's nose is running faster than the jobs leaving this country #TrumpSniffles #debatenight
— Sophia (@sopeaslee) September 27, 2016
Many people are saying #TrumpSniffles are a sign he's hiding a serious illness. Judging by his answers, I'd say dementia or brain tumors.
— AndrewJClock (@AndrewJClock) September 27, 2016
The candidate’s noticeably heavy breathing even inspired a few parody accounts, like @TrumpSinuses and @TrumpSniff, which had accumulated well over 3,000 followers by midday Tuesday.
Trump attempted to put the sniffles debate to rest during his Fox News interview.
“No sniffles, no,” he told the hosts, arguing that his microphone was simultaneously “very bad” and possibly “good enough to hear breathing.”
Other presidential debates have also featured candidates’ distracting tics. During a 1992 debate, President George H.W. Bush infamously checked his watch while an audience member asked him a question about the national debt.
On Monday night, Trump drew the most comparisons to Al Gore, whose performance during an October 2000 debate with George W. Bush is still remembered for incessant sighs and looks of exasperation.
Trump sniff is the new Gore sigh #debatenight pic.twitter.com/yndIplaWRs
— Matt Wilstein (@TheMattWilstein) September 27, 2016