Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is in “excellent health” and fit to serve as president, according to a medical report released by the White House. “Vice President Harris remains in good health,” said Harris’ doctor Joshua Simmons, according to the report released Saturday.
The 59-year-old Vice President has “the physical and mental resilience to successfully fulfill the duties of the presidency.” Simmons emphasized that Harris’ most recent physical exam in April was “unremarkable.” According to the report, the vice president suffers from seasonal allergies and hives, which are treated with over-the-counter and prescription medications. Harris is also slightly nearsighted and wears contact lenses, her doctor explained.
Debate about suitability
With the publication of the report a few weeks before the US presidential election, Harris wants to bring the topic of the candidates’ age and health back into the election campaign. The vice president hopes to spark a debate about the suitability of her 78-year-old Republican rival Donald Trump, according to sources close to her campaign team.
Trump has become the oldest presidential candidate in US history since US President Joe Biden withdrew from the race for the White House. Before Biden announced his intention not to run again in July, debates about the 81-year-old’s physical and mental fitness had shaped the election campaign.
Bild: JUSTIN SULLIVAN (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA)
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Bild: JUSTIN SULLIVAN (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA)
Since it became clear that instead of Biden, Harris will run against Trump in November, the issue has hardly been given center stage in the media. Since then, it has no longer played a major role in the polls.
A recent article published in the New York Times criticizes the fact that Trump – unlike Biden – has never spoken transparently about his health or published current medical studies. In 2023, Trump published a report from his former doctor in the White House that he was in “excellent” health. However, no details were given.
Another article in the paper concludes that Trump’s speeches have recently become increasingly “longer,” more “confusing,” and more “vulgar.”
According to a poll by the Gallup polling institute in June, only 37 percent of voters thought Trump was too old for another term in office – while two thirds of US citizens saw age as a problem with Biden, who was only three years older.
According to a Gallup poll released on October 10, 41 percent of respondents think Trump is too old. Harris now hopes to be able to use the considerable age difference between herself and Trump to her advantage.
