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After Tumultuous Week, Trump Focuses on Clinton at Sweltering Rally

Trump attacked Clinton over what he said was her mental instability at a sweltering rally at a New Hampshire high school gym Saturday.
Image: Republican Candidate Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally In Windham, New Hampshire
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Windham High School on August 6, 2016 in Windham, New Hampshire.Scott Eisen / Getty Images

WINDHAM, N.H. — Donald Trump on Saturday openly questioned rival Hillary Clinton’s mental stability, saying he doesn’t think she’s "all there" and making fun of her explanation that she "short circuited" when walking back comments about the FBI and her email server.

The Republican nominee rounded out one of his worst weeks yet on the trail by hammering hard on his anti-Clinton message, listing her false statements about her server and alleging that ISIS was "salivating" over the thought of Clinton as president. "They dream of Hillary Clinton," Trump said. "They say 'I can’t believe this is happening to us, this is a great day for us.'"

Over the course of the week, Trump called Hillary Clinton "the devil," "a monster," a "horrible human being," a weak person, unstable, and "totally unhinged." At one point, Trump asked the crowd "does she look presidential?" He immediately answered that he thought he looked the part. Later, he stated "honestly, I don’t think she’s all there."

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Referring to Clinton's answer about why she said FBI Director James Comey called her answers "truthful" during an interview on Fox News, Trump told the crowd she "took a little short circuit in the brain."

On Friday, Clinton said that she "may have short circuited it" as she clarified her comments. Trump seized on the moment: "the people of this country don’t want somebody that’s going to short circuit!"

The shift to cohesive messaging was apparent — and necessary — in light of Trump’s jam-packed week of news that distracted from his anti-Clinton messaging and instead made headlines about his public spat with a Gold Star family, confused comments about Russia and Crimea, and kicking a baby out of his rally. Those distractions were not on display Saturday night, as Trump ticked off a litany of attacks against his Democratic rival, oftentimes referencing notes on his podium as he moved between points.

But despite sticking to his talking points, Trump wasn’t fully tame. The GOP nominee capped off his nearly hour-long remarks in front of a packed, sweaty crowd with a promise to "kick the ass of ISIS."

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Dressed in a full suit, Trump’s face reddened as he spoke. "This room is not meant for this many people," Trump said of the "very hot" gymnasium that didn’t have air conditioning. "It’s hot in here, folks. But that’s OK. I consider this like a sweat suit." At one point Trump predicted everyone in the crowd would lose "on average 6.2 pounds" from sweat.

But that wasn’t his sole prediction. Trump, who boasts of having great "vision" and an ability to accurately predict world happenings, told the crowd that he thought the fate of the $400 million dropped into Iran by the United States would be used "for terror" and end up in Swiss accounts.

"That’ll be my next prediction. I’ve made a lot of good predictions, folks." Not missing an opportunity to tie it to the Clintons, Trump joked: "yeah, it’ll end up going to the Clinton Foundation."