Harris uses her medical report to ask questions about Trump: NPR

Vice President Harris answers questions from reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on October 12, 2024.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP

Vice President Harris released a medical report Saturday — a document her campaign is using to draw a contrast with her older rival — and challenged former President Donald Trump to do the same.

This is the first time Harris, 59, has released the results of a physical examination. Similar to reports released by previous commanders in chief, the two-page letter states that Harris is in excellent health and “possesses the physical and mental resilience necessary to successfully discharge the duties of the presidency.”

Harris told reporters traveling with her that every candidate for president had released medical information “except Donald Trump in this election cycle.”

“It is clear to me that he and his team do not want the American people to really see what he is doing and whether he is actually qualified to serve as president of the United States,” she said. .

Trump published a three-paragraph letter about his health a year ago

This medical revelation comes as Harris and Trump appear to be 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 to win.

Harris’ campaign has raised questions about whether the 78-year-old Trump is up to the task, drawing particular attention to his rambling speeches as a sign that he has slipped.

“He talks about fictional characters in his meetings. He is in a constant state of resentment about himself,” Harris said Saturday, rhyming off a list of shortcomings. “He is completely unfit for the job,” she said.

Trump released a three-paragraph letter from a doctor about his health in November 2023. It said Trump’s “general health is excellent” and that his “cognitive exams were exceptional.”

On Saturday, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said the former president had voluntarily released information over the years showing that “he is in perfect and excellent health to be commander in chief.”

Trump’s health has been the subject of speculation since he first released a brief statement as a candidate in 2015, saying he would be “the healthiest person ever elected” to office — a letter that his then-doctor later said Trump sent himself had dictated. The veracity of subsequent reports was also widely questioned.

When 81-year-old President Biden was running for a second term, stumbles, mumbles and mistakes made headlines and his age became his biggest political risk with voters, while Trump’s age and acumen were less scrutinized.

After seemingly being overwhelmed during his debate with Trump in June, Biden was pressured by his party to bow out and pass the torch to a younger leader.

Here are some highlights from Harris’ medical report

Dr. Joshua Simmons, a White House Medical Unit physician who has been Harris’ doctor since January 2021, wrote the three-page report. He said.

• Harris has seasonal allergies and receives allergen immunotherapy to reduce her symptoms. She occasionally takes Atrovent but has never experienced severe symptoms, angioedema or anaphylaxis, her doctor said.
• She is nearsighted and wears contact lenses, but can read comfortably without contact lenses or glasses.
• Her most recent physical exam was in April 2024. She is current on preventive care such as colonoscopy and annual mammograms. She takes a vitamin D3 supplement.
• She has a low risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
• She trains daily and eats healthy; does not smoke and drinks only occasionally and in moderation.