Donald Trump says he wants to 'hit' DNC 2016 speakers who criticised him

Donald Trump has reacted angrily to speeches critical of him at this week’s Democratic National Convention (DNC), saying he wanted to “hit a couple of those speakers so hard”.

Speaking at a rally in Davenport in the midwestern state of Iowa, the Republican presidential candidate said he was “all set” to hit the speakers “so hard their heads would spin, they’d never recover”.

Mr Trump’s comments came as Hillary Clinton said he was not a suitable choice for president because “he loses his cool at the slightest provcation”.

At the DNC, which took place in Philadelphia, the Democrat nominee said “America’s strength doesn’t come from lashing out” when faced with hostility.

“A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons,” said Ms Clinton.

Mr Trump said he was particularly riled up by the words of “one guy in particular, a very little guy,” who he had worked with in the past.

This man “came out of nowhere” to ask for his help with a business deal, he said.

“I was going to hit this guy so hard his head would spin, he wouldn’t know what the hell happened.”

In this context, Mr Trump’s use of the word “hit” most likely means a vicious verbal attack, rather than a physical assault.

While it remains unclear who exactly Mr Trump was referring to, a number of high-profile Democrat supporters have been critical of the Republican nominee in the run-up to the Presidential Election in November.

Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, described Mr Trump as a “dangerous demagogue” in his speech at the DNC.

And Tim Kaine, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, mocked Mr Trump’s repeated use of the phrase “believe me” when making promises to the electorate, according to CNN.

“You know who I don't trust? Donald Trump,” said Mr Kaine.

“It's gonna be great – believe me! We're gonna build a wall and make Mexico pay for it – believe me! We're gonna destroy ISIS so fast – believe me!” he said.