Hillary Clinton leaves 9/11 ceremony after 'feeling overheated'

Hillary Clinton left the 9/11 memorial ceremony in downtown Manhattan early on Sunday because she “felt overheated”, a campaign spokesperson said.

“Secretary Clinton attended the September 11th Commemoration Ceremony for just an hour and 30 minutes this morning to pay her respects and greet some of the families of the fallen,” spokesman Nick Merrill said in a statement, later versions of which omitted the word “just”.

“During the ceremony, she felt overheated so departed to go to her daughter’s apartment, and is feeling much better.”

The temperature in New York City on Sunday morning was in the low 80s fahrenheit, around 28C, with relatively low humidity of around 46%. Clinton, like most official attendees at the memorial ceremonies, including the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, wore a formal suit. 

A security official who did not wish to be identified told the Guardian Clinton had walked from the ceremony without support, got into a vehicle and was driven away.

“She didn’t look great,” he said. “Maybe she was dehydrated. These guys work 16 hours every day.”

Video posted by a bystander to Twitter appeared to show Clinton, extremely unsteady and supported by aides, being helped from the curb into a vehicle. The video could not immediately be verified.

Clinton’s van and security detail were then seen by reporters who travel with her outside Chelsea Clinton’s Manhattan apartment, in the Flatiron at 26th and Madison Avenue.

Those reporters noticed Clinton’s departure from the memorial at about 9.36am. The campaign did not respond to their questions or those from the Guardian until 11.03am local time, an unusually long lapse from a meticulous campaign organisation. The campaign later said Clinton had not intended to stay for the entire ceremony at Ground Zero.

Clinton left her daughter’s apartment at about 11.45am, smiling and waving to the scrum of cameras and posing for a picture with a young girl before stepping into a campaign vehicle.

“I’m feeling great. It’s a beautiful day in New York,” she said, before heading for her home in Chappaqua, in New York state. She was due to fly to California on Monday, to attend fundraising events.

The campaign did not immediately say if she had seen a doctor.

In recent weeks, Clinton has been dogged by speculation surrounding her health and stamina.

Despite a lack of evidence that Clinton is in poor health, Trump and his allies have insinuated that her health is declining and she “lacks the stamina” to be commander-in-chief at the age of 68. Clinton’s campaign has accused her 70-year-old opponent of peddling conspiracy theories.

Clinton has made light of such speculation, joking to talk show host Jimmy Kimmel: “Back in October, the National Enquirer said I’d be dead in six months. So with every breath I take, I feel like it’s a new lease on life.”

Rumors about Clinton’s health appear to stem from a 2012 incident in which Clinton fell, a mishap attributed to a stomach virus. She suffered a concussion and a subsequent blood clot in the brain, which later testing showed to have cleared completely. A doctor’s note released by the Clinton campaign last year attested to her good health and fitness.