Clinton seizes offensive as Trump’s woes mount
DONALD Trump’s presidential hopes suffered a punishing new setback as authorities clamped down on his charitable foundation, while Hillary Clinton seized the offensive to brand the Republican an unscrupulous businessman.
With just five weeks to go before the November 8 election, Mr Trump is struggling to regain his footing against a surging Ms Clinton and climb out of one of the darkest periods of his White House campaign.
Already weakened by damaging revelations about his taxes, Mr Trump was hit with an order by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman that the Donald J Trump foundation must “cease and desist from soliciting contributions” in New York.
The notice informed the charity that it had engaged in fundraising activities that were not permitted under the law because it had not been registered with authorities.
With Team Trump on the defensive after leaked documents suggested he may have paid no income tax for two decades, Democrat Ms Clinton rounded on him as a real estate bully who cares little for his fellow countrymen.
The pair face off in their second showdown on October 9.
Mr Trump used an appearance before military veterans in Virginia to pound the former secretary of state once more for handling classified information via a “basement” private email server.
But he appeared to stumble when he addressed the mental problems facing military personnel and suggested some were returning from battle ill-equipped to cope with debilitating conditions.
In recent days, Mr Trump’s strongest line of attack has been personal, and of a rare brutality even for him: He mocked Ms Clinton over the weekend for coming down with pneumonia and even questioned her fidelity to her husband.
“Hillary Clinton’s only loyalty is to her financial contributors and to herself,” he said.
“I don’t even think she’s loyal to Bill, if you want to know the truth. And really, folks, really, why should she be, right?” said the Manhattan billionaire, who revived talk of Bill Clinton’s past infidelities following his lacklustre debate performance.
Mr Trump dodged questions about his tax record. He reportedly took massive tax breaks on failing businesses, earning millions while shareholders and investors swallowed the losses and contractors went unpaid.
Polls released by Politico/Morning Consult and CNN/ORC showed Ms Clinton with a six-point and fivepoint lead, respectively.
A fresh Quinnipiac battlegrounds poll showed Ms Clinton leading in Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, but trailing Mr Trump in Ohio.
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Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton greets supporters during a campaign rally in Akron, Ohio, on October 3.