Clinton powered through a coughing fit at a Labor Day festival at a Cleveland park, sharply criticizing Trump's recent trip to Mexico as "an embarrassing international incident." Unwilling to allow Trump to modify his immigration stances, she said his address later that night in Arizona amounted to a "doubling down on his absurd plan to send a deportation force to round up 16 million people."
"He can try to fool voters into thinking somehow he's not as harsh and inhumane as he seems, but it's too late," Clinton said.
The former secretary of state flatly said "No," when asked in an ABC News interview whether she'd be willing to accept the Mexican president's invitation to visit the country, as Trump did last week.
"I'm going to continue to focus on what we're doing to create jobs here at home," Clinton said.
Earlier in the day, Trump attacked Clinton's energy level, noting she hasn't followed his aggressive traveling schedule and questioning whether she had the stamina to help bring jobs back to America.
"She doesn't have the energy to bring 'em back. You need energy, man," Trump told reporters.
He added, "She didn't have the energy to go to Louisiana. And she didn't have the energy to go to Mexico."
Clinton's 25-minute question-and-answer session was her first extensive availability with reporters since early December. Beyond Russia, she answered questions about the ongoing controversy surrounding her use of a private email server while secretary of state, which Trump has used to cast doubt over her ability to protect classified information.
"I take classification seriously," she said.
While Labor Day has traditionally been the kickoff to the fall campaign, both Clinton and Trump have been locked in an intense back-and-forth throughout the summer.
The start of full-fledged campaigning opens a pivotal month, culminating in the first presidential debate Sept. 26 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Polls show Trump trailing Clinton in a series of must-win battleground states, meaning the debates could be his best chance at reorienting the race.
Trump told reporters he does plan to take part in all three presidential debates, joking that only a "hurricane" or "natural disaster" would prevent him from attending.
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