Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wants women to #raiseyourvoice, though she struggled to heed the slogan as she fought back a coughing fit during this week’s “The MAKERS Conference.”
The conference – inspired by Gloria Steinem, Lena Waithe and the “Time’s Up” movement – ran from Monday through Wednesday to celebrate all kinds of liberal feminist “MAKERS,” from outspoken actress Lena Dunham to Clinton, Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey, through panel discussions and other programs.
On Wednesday, Clinton streamed into the conference on a live feed from New York to give closing remarks, though she struggled to contain a massive coughing fit – a problem that plagued her throughout the 2016 presidential campaign.
“From Hollywood to politics to factory floors, everywhere women are telling the truth about their lives,” Clinton said in a clip from the address, posted to Twitter by InStyle. “And let’s make sure the world in never the same.
“You know. We have to be brave. We have to be brave enough to engage with people who disagree with us, brave enough to question and examine our own beliefs, brave enough to acknowledge that even those of us who have spent much of our life thinking about and fighting about gender issues – who even have first-hand experiences navigating male-dominated industries – may not always get it right,” she continued.
“I pledge to continue to speak out. I pledge to never give up …,” Clinton said as her voice trailed off and she began hacking into her hand.
“I will do everything I can …,” she tried again, taking a swig of water.
Clinton tried to play it off, but continued to choke back a cough, repeatedly stopping to clear her throat.
“To keep my voice, number one – to advance the rights and opportunities of women,” she said in a horse rasp as the audience laughed. “In the midst of this snowstorm … stay on the frontlines of democracy.”
The former first lady continued to sip water and even popped a lozenge in a failed attempt to quell the coughing fit. As she hacked away on a massive screen before the live audience at the Los Angeles event, conference organizers heaped praise on Clinton as “the definition of what it means to be a maker.”
“What a way to give Hillary Clinton the final word after three days of raising our voices. A women who has raised her voice her entire life,” the organizer said.
“Thank you,” Clinton mouthed, taking another sip from her mug.
Clinton’s repeated coughing fits and uncoordinated eye movements hampered her efforts to get out her message throughout the 2016 campaign, and drew questions from Donald Trump and others about her health.
Clinton repeatedly denied any serious health problems, despite the chronic coughing and an unexpected fainting spell during the 2016 service honoring those who died 2011 terrorist attacks.