But it was clear from a raft of new polls that Trump had halted a summer swoon after taking steps to give a less freewheeling, more polished performance on the stump.
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“Despite bad marks on honesty, despite what voters perceive as a level of arrogance that puts her above the rules, voters say nearly 2-1 that Hillary Clinton is qualified to be president, and say by a wide margin that Donald Trump is not qualified”, said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Poll.
“From my perspective, I thought I was going to be fine and I thought that there was no reason to make a big fuss about it”, she said.
Clinton’s health made headlines over the weekend after she was captured on video struggling to walk at a 9/11 memorial. Polls in battleground states where the race is likely to be decided showed Trump now leading in Iowa, Ohio, Florida and Nevada, and tied in North Carolina.
Following her appearance in North Carolina, Clinton was scheduled to appear at a Washington dinner.
She also said her campaign “could have been faster” in revealing the pneumonia diagnosis.
In a speech at the New York Economic Club, Trump stuck to his script, avoiding the more improvisational style that has produced a cornucopia of controversies.
If the 70-year-old’s BMI turns out to be either “overweight” or “obese”, the result would run counter to his personal physician’s claim last month that Trump would be “the healthiest individual ever elected to presidency”.
Clinton said in the interview that she has been the most transparent presidential candidate. Her campaign later said Clinton had been diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday.
“Fairly or unfairly, what this was taken as was more evidence that she was not transparent and that’s what hurts her”, Shrum said.
She then turned to Trump saying he failed at transparency.
Democrats have sought to pressure Trump to release his tax returns, but the Republican has said he will not release them until a federal government audit has been completed.
The incident prompted fresh questions about both candidates’ openness regarding their health.
On Thursday Donald Trump released a letter from his doctor which said he is in “excellent physical health”.
The one-page letter from his long-time doctor lists various lab results, including for cholesterol, blood pressure and liver and thyroid function – all deemed to be within the normal range.
Although Trump is in the lead, experts say it’s by a very small margin compared to Mitt Romney, who led the Texas vote by 19 points against President Barack Obama back in 2012.
Donald Trump will appear on a tabloid medical show Thursday evening where he is expected to provide unprecedented insight into his medical history – though perhaps not as much as his critics would have liked.
This is a sharp gain for Mr Trump, who managed only 39 per cent in a similar poll in July, while 46 per cent backed Mrs Clinton.
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It’s tight race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, with both candidates fighting to win the confidence of voters as the first presidential debate looms only two weeks away.
