Clinton Rejects Trump’s Speculation That She’s in Poor Health

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Monday dismissed speculation that she’s in poor health as part of an “alternative reality” that Republican rival Donald Trump and his supporters have created.

“I don’t know why they are saying this,” Clinton said in Los Angeles during an appearance on ABC’s "Jimmy Kimmel Live." “I think on the one hand it’s part of the wacky strategy, just say all these crazy things and maybe you can get some people to believe you. On the other hand, it just absolutely makes no sense.”

Trump and allies have been raising concern in recent weeks that Clinton is medically unfit to serve as president, pointing to stumbles and head movements as signs she’s ailing. Earlier this month, Trump said Clinton "lacks the mental and physical stamina" to be president.

“She has an entire media empire that … fails to point out several signs of illness by her. All you got to do is go online," former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a Trump supporter, said on "Fox News Sunday."

Clinton’s team has rebutted the claims and released a statement last week from her internist saying the candidate is in good health. A more detailed assessment of Clinton’s health was released last summer. Trump in December released a four-paragraph letter signed by Harold Bornstein, a gastroenterologist and internal medicine specialist who said he had served as Trump’s doctor since 1980, that pronounced him in excellent health without giving details.

Clinton said the discussions about her health are a distraction from her efforts to talk about jobs, college affordability and prescription drug prices.

“I’m out here talking about all of this and then I have to sort of step into the alternative reality and you know answer questions about am I alive, how much longer will I be alive?” Clinton said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer Epstein in Los Angeles at jepstein32@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Craig Gordon at cgordon39@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum, Joe Sobczyk