Copyright Newsweek
Former President Bill Clinton was seen sporting a bandage on his nose while supporting his daughter at the New York City Marathon on Sunday. Newsweek contacted representatives for Clinton via email on Monday. Why It Matters The reason for the bandage is unclear, and follows speculation about the 79-year-old former president’s health in recent months. What To Know Clinton was photographed with a bandage on his face as he embraced his daughter Chelsea at the finish line of the New York City Marathon. The small bandage, which resembled a regular Band-Aid, was placed across his nose. The former president has a long history of health issues. In August he was photographed about to board a plane in the Hamptons accompanied by someone who was carrying what appeared to be a portable defibrillator. The device resembled a Propaq MD Air Medical Bag, which is a portable device that tracks vital signs and can provide cardiac support during air or ground medical transport. Clinton had an emergency quadruple bypass in 2004, after which doctors said he had narrowly avoided a heart attack and that some of his arteries had nearly a 100 percent blockage. The following year he had surgery for a collapsed lung and in 2010 had two coronary stents put in. He was also hospitalized in 2021 with a urological infection, and again briefly hospitalized in 2024 for testing and observation after developing a fever. After his quadruple bypass Clinton encouraged people with a family history of heart problems to get "tested, tested, tested." He changed his lifestyle and diet following the health scare, including largely eating a vegan diet in recent years. What People Are Saying Former President Bill Clinton said following his quadruple bypass in 2004: "You should bend over backwards to make sure you get the medicine that you need and watch your diet. And the only signals are not, you know, where your chest is hurting so bad you can hardly stand up, and you're on the verge of a heart attack. … It may be sustained shortness of breath or inability to do things you used to do. You just can't assume it's the aging process." What Happens Next It is not clear why Clinton’s nose was bandaged, or if he will make any public statements about it. The former president did not publicly comment when he was seen with the portable defibrillator in August.
