Bill Clinton appears frail during DNC speech with raspy voice, trembling hands

Democrat former President Bill Clinton showed his age during his DNC speech on Wednesday night, with shaky hands and voice, as he tried to make the case that Kamala Harris should ascend to the most powerful office in the land.

Clinton touched on several topics during his nearly 30-minute speech, discussing Joe Biden's alleged legacy, Harris' former job at McDonald's, and American democracy. But he also made repeated references to his advanced age.

"Let’s cut to the chase; I am too old to gild the lily," he quipped at one point.

'Bill Clinton says he just turned 78. He looks like he is about to keel over. Donald Trump turned 78 on June 14, 2024. Just under one month later he was shot in the head and did this: They are not the same.'

"I want to say this from the bottom of my heart, I have no idea how many more of these I’ll be able to come to," he added moments later. "I started in ’76, and I’ve been every one since — no, ’72. Lord, I’m getting old."

Despite the self-deprecating humor, Clinton also prided himself that he is "still younger than Donald Trump." Clinton turned 78 earlier this week. Trump turned 78 in June.

Clinton then commented on the youth and vigor of the next generation of Democrats. "They look better, they sound better, and they'll be exciting," he insisted.

Kamala Harris, whose name Clinton repeatedly mispronounced, turns 60 in October. Her running mate, Tim Walz, turned 60 in April.

Viewers also remarked upon Clinton's frail-looking physical appearance, noting tremors in his hands and his diminished voice.

"What tomb did they drag Clinton out of? He barely has a voice for gods sake," said one user, according to the Daily Mail.

"Is Bill Clinton's voice going to last through the speech? He could turn this convention into a super spreader," joked another.

Still others indicated that even though Clinton looks and sounds more feeble than in years past, he is still a charming orator.

"Bill Clinton is hoarse and speaks slowly and his hands shake but as a speaker he’s still unmatched. If you look close you can see when he goes to the script and when he rewrites it on the fly. Talks like he’s in your living room. The master," said one popular X post.

Politico also praised Clinton for mustering a rousing speech that routinely attacked Trump with "relish." "A slower, wizened Clinton sinks his fangs into Trump," read the headline.

"On Wednesday, the Big Dog, a little older and his bark more faint, sunk his teeth into another favorite topic and savaged Donald Trump as a narcissist obsessed with himself," wrote Christopher Cadelago, Politico's California bureau chief.

Yet another popular X user — Shawn Farash, best known for his comical impersonations of Trump — took the opportunity to compare Clinton and Trump in a way more favorable to the 45th president rather than the 42nd, pointing to the iconic photo of a bloodied Trump raising his fist as an American flag billowed overhead to demonstrate Trump's vigor.

"Bill Clinton says he just turned 78. He looks like he is about to keel over. Donald Trump turned 78 on June 14, 2024. Just under one month later he was shot in the head and did this: They are not the same."

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