donald trump publicly raised questions about hillary clinton<u+2019>s health for the first time since the former secretary of state was forced on sunday to leave a ceremony for the victims of 9/11.









speaking in an air-conditioned minor league basketball arena in canton, ohio, trump made his most direct reference to clinton<u+2019>s recent diagnosis of pneumonia and her campaign saying she left the event in new york because she felt <u+201c>overheated<u+201d>.









<u+201c>you think this is easy?<u+201d> trump asked. <u+201c>in this beautiful room that<u+2019>s 122 degrees. it is hot, and it is always hot when i perform because the crowds are so big. the rooms were not designed for this kind of crowd. i don<u+2019>t know, folks. you think hillary clinton would be able to stand up here and do this for an hour? i don<u+2019>t know.<u+201d>









the republican nominee later went on to add of his democratic rival, <u+201c>now she<u+2019>s lying in bed, getting better and we want her better, we want her back on the trail, right?<u+201d>









sounding like the classic unscripted trump, the republican presidential nominee often deviated from his teleprompters in a 40-minute speech that ranged from clinton<u+2019>s health to the water crisis in flint, michigan.









the issue of candidate health and medical records has come to the forefront after the clinton campaign revealed on sunday <u+2013> eight hours after she abruptly left the ceremony at the national september 11 memorial <u+2013> that the former secretary of state had been diagnosed with pneumonia two days earlier. the democratic nominee had to be helped into a van while leaving. afterward, clinton cancelled all public events for three days.









clinton has since released more detailed medical information from her doctor describing her as <u+201c>healthy and fit to serve as president<u+201d>. in contrast, trump has yet to share further medical information to the public besides a brief letter written in december that said he would be <u+201c>the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency<u+201d>. however, in an interview with controversial tv doctor dr oz, set to air on thursday, the 70-year-old trump reportedly said that he would like to lose 15 pounds, doesn<u+2019>t exercise and is fond of fast food.









trump also addressed the water crisis in flint, a former car manufacturing hub that has seen tens of thousands of jobs disappear in recent decades. <u+201c>it used to be cars were made in flint and you couldn<u+2019>t drink the water in mexico,<u+201d> the republican nominee said. <u+201c>now the cars are made in mexico and you can<u+2019>t drink the water in flint.<u+201d> ford said on wednesday that it was moving all its small-car production to mexico.









earlier in the day, trump had visited the city and ended up in a confrontation with a local pastor. trump was visiting a church that serves as a water distribution center for residents when he started critiquing clinton. the pastor, faith green timmons, interrupted and made clear: <u+201c>mr trump, i invited you here to thank us for what we<u+2019>ve done in flint, not give a political speech.<u+201d>









later in ohio, trump, buoyed by recent polls that showed him taking the lead in that crucial swing state, was in high spirits in front of a cheering crowd. his supporters, many of them wearing trump-themed apparel, ate up applause lines such as when trump asked who would pay for his famous border wall. he received loud shouts in return of <u+201c>mexico<u+201d>.









the crowd also booed and hissed when trump told them, <u+201c>president obama just announced a 30% increase to refugee admissions coming into this country.<u+201d> trump added after the loud chorus of boos subsided that <u+201c>that was hard to take<u+201d>. the republican nominee added of the proposal: <u+201c>it<u+2019>s bringing the total to 110,000 refugees in just a single year, and we have no idea where they come from, it<u+2019>s a great trojan horse.<u+201d> looking ahead to history<u+2019>s judgment, trump noted, <u+201c>i don<u+2019>t want be known in 200 years for having created a trojan horse by a different name.<u+201d>









the uncharacteristic return to his unscripted rally style comes the day before the republican nominee is scheduled to make a major economic policy speech at the waldorf astoria in new york. there, the republican nominee will introduce a tax reform proposal.









trump has previously introduced two other tax reform plans. first, in 2015, where he emphasized that half of americans in lieu of paying taxes would simply mail a card to the irs saying <u+201c>i win<u+201d>, and more recently in august where he proposed to reduce the number of tax brackets to three while drastically cutting rates. the speech on thursday is expected to be a more expansive elaboration of the august proposal.









<u+2022> this article was amended on 19 september 2016 to clarify when hillary clinton was diagnosed with pneumonia.
donald trump questions clinton<u+2019>s health at rally in ohio: <u+2018>you think this is easy?<u+2019>
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