Trump on Clinton’s pneumonia diagnosis: ‘I hope she gets well soon’
Donald Trump declined to attack Hillary Clinton’s health, a day after the Democratic nominee’s campaign revealed that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia.
“I hope she gets well soon,” the Republican nominee said on “Fox & Friends” Monday. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
Clinton abruptly left a 9/11 memorial service in Lower Manhattan on Sunday, and a video taken by an onlooker appeared to show Clinton wobbling as she was helped into her van. The incident prompted the Clinton campaign to release a statement from her personal physician, who said the 68-year-old former secretary of state was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday and became “overheated and dehydrated” at the ceremony.
Trump has repeatedly raised questions about Clinton’s health on the campaign trail, arguing that she does not have the “stamina” to be president. But Trump told CNBC he takes no “satisfaction” in his opponent’s illness.
“It was quite sad, to be honest with you,” Trump said. “I hope she gets well soon. No satisfaction, believe me, whatsoever.”
Trump’s decision to not go after Clinton was striking. He has often embraced conspiracy theories while on the campaign trail, and speculation in the right-wing media has circulated for years about the state of Clinton’s health.
But Bloomberg Politics reported Sunday night that Trump was planning to take a pass in order to focus on other topics, such as Clinton’s assertion that his supporters are a “basket of deplorables.” On Monday, Trump’s campaign released a new television ad that attacked Clinton for the comment.
But in his appearance on Fox, the real estate mogul pointed to a coughing fit she had last week at a rally in Ohio.
“I see what I see. The coughing fit was a week ago, so I assume that was pneumonia also,” Trump said Monday on “Fox & Friends.” “I mean, I would think it would have been. So something’s going on, but I just hope she gets well and gets back on the trail and we’ll be seeing her at the debate.”
Trump also rejected the suggestion that the Democratic National Committee would replace Clinton on the ticket, due to her current illness.
“I don’t think they’ll replace her,” he said. “We have to see what’s wrong. I mean, we have to see what’s wrong. But whatever it is, it is, I’m ready. Whatever it is.”
In December, the Trump campaign released a letter from his longtime doctor, who declared Trump would be “the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”
Trump, 70, said he had recently had a physical and would be releasing those results soon.
“I’ll be releasing — when the numbers come, hopefully they are going to be good, I think they are going to be good, I feel great — but when the numbers come in, I’ll be releasing very, very specific numbers,” he said.
On Thursday, Trump is scheduled to appear on “The Dr. Oz Show.” According to the show’s press release, the GOP nominee “addresses why the health of the candidates has become such a serious issue in this campaign” and “reveals his own personal health regimen.”
Late Sunday night, the Clinton campaign canceled a scheduled trip to California for Monday and Tuesday, on her doctor’s recommendation.
On CNBC Monday, Trump bragged that his schedule has been far more grueling.
“If you look at my scheduling compared with anyone else’s scheduling, there’s not a contest,” Trump said.
