Vice President Harris on Saturday released a medical report, a document that her campaign will use to try to draw another contrast with former President Donald Trump.
This is the first time Harris, 59, has released a medical report. Similar to reports released by previous commanders-in-chief, the two-page letter from Dr. Joshua Simmons, her White House Medical Unit physician since Jan. 2021, says that Harris is in excellent health and has “the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”
Here are some of the highlights from Harris' medical report:
- Harris has seasonal allergies and has been on allergen immunotherapy to reduce her symptoms. She occasionally uses Atrovent but has never experienced severe symptoms, angioedema or anaphylaxis, her doctor said.
- She is nearsighted and wears contacts, but can read comfortably without contacts or glasses.
- Her most recent physical exam was in April 2024. She is up-to-date on preventive care like colonoscopy and annual mammograms. She takes a Vitamin D3 supplement.
- She is at low risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
- She works out daily and eats healthy; does not smoke and drinks only occasionally and in moderation.
This medical disclosure come as Harris and Trump seem locked in a tie, less than a month before Election Day — each looking for ways to shake up the race and win over the small number of undecided or persuadable voters in swing states.
By releasing the information, the campaign will underscore the fact that Trump has not, a senior campaign aide told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the document’s release.
Harris’ campaign will raise questions about whether, Trump, 78, is up to the job, and point to rambling and disjointed speeches and unwillingness to debate as signs that he has slipped.
Trump in Nov. 2023 released a three-paragraph letter from a doctor about his health. It said Trump’s “overall health is excellent” and that his “cognitive exams were exceptional.”
On Saturday, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said that the former president had voluntarily released information over the years that showed "he is in perfect and excellent health to be commander in chief."
Trump’s health has been a subject of speculation since he first released a short statement as a candidate in 2015 that said he would be “the healthiest individual ever elected” to the office — a letter that his then-doctor later said that Trump himself had dictated. The veracity of subsequent reports were also widely questioned.
When President Biden, 81, was still running for a second term, Trump’s age and acuity came under less scrutiny while Biden’s stumbles, mumbles and mistakes drew headlines and became his greatest political liability with voters. After he was seemingly overwhelmed during his June debate with Trump, Biden was pressured by his party to bow out and pass the torch to a younger leader.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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