Kamala Harris puts spotlight on Donald Trump with release of medical report
Washington DC- Kamala Harris on Saturday released a medical report confirming her fitness to be president, putting significant pressure on rival Donald Trump to publish his own health records.
The report, prepared by Harris' physician Dr. Joshua Simmons, concluded: "She possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the presidency."
While noting her seasonal allergies and a family history of colon cancer, Simmons said the 59-year-old's physical in April produced "unremarkable" results.
The VP's team aims to put the spotlight on the physical health and mental acuity of 78-year-old former president Trump, who has so far refused to release any detailed medical information.
He became the oldest presidential nominee in US history after 81-year-old President Joe Biden withdrew from the White House race in July.
Biden passed the torch to Harris after a disastrous debate against Trump raised concerns in the Democratic Party about his own mental sharpness.
Harris' campaign also drew attention to a recent series of articles in the New York Times that raised concerns about the fact that Trump had failed to disclose basic information about his health.
The paper also published an analysis of Trump's language showing that his speeches are increasingly long, "confused" and vulgar, which it said were seen by experts as a possible sign of cognitive change.
Questions about Trump's mental fitness
Trump insists he is fully fit, but he has not released any full medical report for his campaign.
In late 2023, Trump released a note from his former White House doctor declaring him to be in "excellent" health, but it was short on details and did not say what tests Trump had undergone when he had a physical in September 2023.
The same doctor, Ronny Jackson, issued a statement in July after Trump's ear was wounded by an assassin's bullet at a rally in Pennsylvania, saying the former president was doing well.
Trump meanwhile boasted about a cognitive Jackson administered in 2018 – but then immediately flubbed his doctor's name, calling him "Ronny Johnson."If Trump wins the election in November, he would be 82 at the end of his second term in the Oval Office.
Cover photo: REUTERS