WASHINGTON: Hillary Clinton's health was forced to the centre of the presidential campaign last night (Sunday) after she was forced to leave a ceremony honouring victims of the September 11 attacks, appearing to faint as she departed.
Secret Service agents were forced to hold Mrs Clinton upright as she entered a vehicle that whisked her away to recover at her daughter Chelsea's apartment.
Her near-collapse was caught on video, which quickly spread online.
A campaign spokesman said the former secretary of state had "felt overheated" after spending 90 minutes at the outdoor ceremony in New York, marking the 15th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Donald Trump, who was also at the ceremony, had previously raised questions about whether Mrs Clinton possessed the "stamina" to serve as president.
His supporters seized on a coughing fit she suffered last week as confirmation of the already swirling rumours that she was in poor health.
Mrs Clinton, who explained that the cough was due to seasonal allergies, has dismissed the claims as "conspiracy theories".
At first, her aides declined to explain her exit yesterday, and would not disclose where she had been taken.
Nick Merrill, a Clinton spokesman, later revealed that the Democratic nominee was at her daughter's apartment. Mrs Clinton soon emerged wearing sunglasses, smiling and waving for the cameras and well-wishers. She remarked that it was "a beautiful day in New York" and said she was feeling much better before climbing without help into an SUV.
The Clinton campaign has released a letter from her doctor describing the candidate as being in "excellent health", but providing little supporting detail.
Neither Mrs Clinton, 68, nor Mr Trump, 70, have released detailed medical records. Most other presidential candidates have done so in recent decades.
A previous disclosure, from 2015, described the effects of concussion that Mrs Clinton suffered in 2012.
It left a blood clot in her brain and gave her double vision. The concussion, and Mrs Clinton's prolonged recovery, have inspired
conspiracy theories about her health. There is no evidence to support such theories, but the lack of information about the candidates' health has been a feature of this campaign.