-Jack Guardiola ’20, Rowan Cabahug-Almonte ’20

Some media outlets question if Brennan Leach ’19 was ‘planted’ at Clinton rally in Havertown, but she stands firm on authenticity.

At a Clinton Town Hall Meeting in Haverford on October 1, Shipley sophomore Brennan Leach, the daughter of State Senator Daylin Leach, asked a question of the candidate. Some media outlets reacted with allegations that her question was staged and rehearsed.

According to ABC 6 News, Leach asked, “At my school, body image is a really big issue for girls my age. I see with my own eyes the damage Donald Trump does when he talks about women and how they look. As the first female president, how would you undo some of that damage and help girls understand that they are so much more than what they look like?”

According to Philly.com, some media outlets and conspiracy theorists questioned whether or not Leach’s question was staged.

“The next day I woke up, I had this conspiracy that had over 500 thousand views and all these horrible comments of people I had never met,” she said. “It was so uncalled for and overwhelming.”

In an interview, Leach described how she asked her question at the rally. “I was in the second row again because it was my dad’s district so he had special seating because he was helping facilitate the whole thing,” she said. “And Elizabeth Banks was actually the one calling on everyone.”

Another accusation was that Leach’s question was pre-written for her. Leach insisted she came up with the question herself, but did not memorize it before she asked it. ““If I had known it would be this big, I would have memorized it,” she said.

“My dad told me we were going to the event and he said, ‘You know you might have the opportunity to ask a question,’” she said. “I knew that [body image] is important to me. I think a lot of other issues are talked about, but I don’t think Hillary or the other adults really realize what Donald Trump says really affects kids my age.”

Some of the critics suggested Clinton had hired a child actor. Leach previously acted in a film called “Once Upon A Time – Trillium Vein” and has a profile on acting and film website IMDb.

Leach described how she got the part in that film. “My friend’s mom when I was in fifth grade had some weird music video thing and she asked me and a couple of other school kids to be in it,” she said. “We did not get paid. We were only in it for like thirty seconds.”

Leach said her father’s role in politics has fostered her political interest. She was excited to have the opportunity to interact with Clinton.

“When I heard she was coming and she was going to be in the area and I might get a chance to ask her a question, I was really excited and really hoping I could get to go,” she said.

Philly.com concluded there was no evidence that Leach’s question was planted.

Leach said if she were voting on election day, she would vote for Clinton.

“We’ve been behind Hillary since the beginning,” she said. “We were really big Hillary supporters. My dad is a Hillary delegate. So yes, 100 percent.”