Portsmouth, NH: Escalating his criticism of Hillary Clinton's debate performances, Donald Trump came to a state battling a drug epidemic and suggested without any evidence on Saturday that his opponent had been on drugs during their second debate.
"I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate," Trump told a crowd of thousands gathered in the parking lot of a Toyota dealership on a chilly afternoon.
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Analysis: Presidential debate marked by tension
The two candidates "did not seem to like each other at all" and tension was the dominant theme of the second presidential debate says political writer Ken Thomas.
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."
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 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," 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."
Clinton stepped away from the campaign trail over the weekend to prepare for the third and final presidential debate Wednesday.
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.
Trump also said the government should reduce the amount of "Schedule II" opioids like oxycodone that can be made and sold in the United States. And he criticized 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.
New York Times