Hillary Clinton returns to the campaign trail after pneumonia bout, claiming time off helped her to 'reconnect'

The Democratic nominee emerged onstage at a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina to the strains of James Brown’s 'I Feel Good'

Ms Clinton’s return to the podium came as polls showed the race tightening after a disastrous week for her candidacy ((Getty Images))

Hillary Clinton has returned refreshed to the presidential campaign trail, days after she was caught on camera staggering on a New York street amid a bout of pneumonia. The Democratic nominee emerged onstage at a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina on Thursday to the strains of James Brown’s “I Feel Good”, claiming that the time off had provided her with a rare opportunity to “reconnect” with the most important aspects of the election.

Apparently marking a shift from easy criticism of her Republican rival, Donald Trump, to a full-throated promotion of her own agenda, Ms Clinton promised henceforth to “give Americans something to vote for, not just against.” For the remaining 50 or so days of the election, she said, “Everywhere I go, I’m going to talk about my ideas for the country.”

The 68-year-old former Secretary of State said she felt “lucky” to be able to take time off to recuperate at home in Chappaqua, New York, when so many working Americans would not be able to afford such a break. “With just two months to go until election day, sitting at home was pretty much the last place I want to be,” she said. And yet, she went on, “It’s important to sit with your thoughts every now and then. It helped me reconnect with what this whole campaign is about.”

Ms Clinton’s return to the podium came as polls showed the race tightening after a disastrous week for her candidacy. First there was the flap over her description of “half” of Mr Trump’s supporters as a “basket of deplorables”. And then came the news that she had withheld disclosure of her pneumonia diagnosis for two days, acknowledging the illness only after her poor health forced her to leave a 9/11 memorial event in Manhattan.

The Clinton campaign has long been dogged with accusations over its perceived lack of transparency. At a press conference after the event in Greensboro, Ms Clinton appeared to admit that even her running mate, Tim Kaine, had been unaware of her condition until her fainting fit was captured on video on Sunday. Describing pneumonia as “an ailment that many people just power through,” Ms Clinton insisted: “That's what I thought I would do as well.”

Questions about the health of both candidates have been at the forefront of the campaign in recent days, and on Thursday Mr Trump claimed in an interview with tabloid television physician Dr Oz that he feels as good as he did at the age of 30. At a rally in Ohio on Wednesday, the property mogul cast aspersions about his opponent’s stamina, asking the crowd: “Do you think Hillary Clinton would be able to stand up here for an hour?”

Ms Clinton’s own doctor wrote in a letter released this week that in spite of her pneumonia, she remained “healthy and fit to serve as President”.