By Aaron Miller -
Donald Trump’s and Hillary Clinton are like Athletes, who should be drug tested, the Republican presidential nominee claimed today.
Speaking to supporters at a rally in Portsmouth, Donald Trump was conscious he was in a state that is notoriously drug-ridden when he suggested without any basis on Saturday that his opponent had been on drugs during their second debate.
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“I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate,” Mr. Trump told a crowd of thousands gathered in the parking lot of a Toyota dealership on a chilly afternoon.
He continued: “We should take a drug test prior because I don’t know what’s going on with her. But at the beginning of her last debate — she was all pumped up at the beginning, and at the end it was like, ‘Oh, take me down.’ She could barely reach her car.”
Trump comments are laughable, being pumped up for a debate reflects the high sense of importance and motivation to win the debate. His suggestion that Clinton could be on drugs is not impossible, because anything is possible these days. However, it is improbable that Clinton would be on drugs.
On a more practical level, the unlikelihood that the pair would be drug tested makes the request even more strange and unnecessary. However, in this race for the Whitehouse, the contenders have to try anything. They never now how it could affect voters in their favour, though Trump has not shown himself to be the most calculating of people.
When asked for comment, the Clinton campaign directed reporters to a statement by Robby Mook, the campaign manager, that was put out earlier in the day in response to Mr. Trump’s allegations of a “rigged” election.
“Campaigns should be hard fought and elections hard won, but what is fundamental about the American electoral system is that it is free, fair and open to the people,” Mr. Mook wrote. “Participation in the system — and particularly voting — should be encouraged, not dismissed or undermined because a candidate is afraid he’s going to lose.”
Mrs. Clinton stepped away from the campaign trail over the weekend to prepare for the third and final presidential debate on Wednesday, and Mr. Trump has spent the week criticising his opponent’s public schedule as too heavy on “debate prep” while he campaigns around the country.
As he has campaigned in recent days, Mr. Trump has made increasingly outlandish allegations as he seeks to fend off reports of lewd comments and accusations of sexual assault. Among other things, he has alleged a global media conspiracy and told his followers that the electoral process was being rigged against him. He has also personally insulted and degraded the women who have accused him.
Mr. Trump, who said he was willing to take a drug test before the next debate, directed a large portion of his remarks to the drug epidemic. He praised the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act as an “important step in the right direction,” and he called for more drug courts and mandated treatment.
“I would dramatically expand access to treatment sites and end Medicaid policies that obstruct inpatient treatment,” he said.
Mr. Trump also said the government should reduce the amount of so-called Schedule II opioids like oxycodone that can be made and sold in the United States. And he criticised the Food and Drug Administration, saying it was too slow to approve addiction recovery medicines, and that “we need to move it along.” He promised that his border wall and policies would help stem the flow of drugs into the country.
Mr. Trump praised his running mate, Mike Pence, for increasing “mandatory minimum sentences for the most serious drug offenders” as governor of Indiana, although the candidate himself did not personally endorse the idea.
Mr. Trump has often focused on Mrs. Clinton’s health during the campaign. He claims she lacks the “stamina” to campaign, or to be president. His campaign released an ad this week focusing heavily on her health.