Kamala Harris’ doctor has described her overall health as “excellent” as her campaign aims to provide a contrast to the limited medical information Donald Trump has shared over the years.
On Saturday, October 12, the White House released a medical report written by the vice president’s physician, Dr. Joshua Simmons.
In the two-page letter — covering her entire medical history as well as specific numbers from her last physical in April 2024 — Simmons said Harris, 59, “possesses the physical and mental resilience necessary to successfully carry out the duties of the Presidency.”
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The vice president “maintains a healthy, active lifestyle, despite her busy schedule,” Simmons wrote. He also eats healthily, doesn’t smoke, and drinks alcohol “only occasionally and in moderation,” he said.
“In short, Vice President Harris remains in excellent health,” the report concluded. “She possesses the physical and mental toughness necessary to successfully carry out the duties of the Presidency, including those as CEO, Head of State and Commander-in-Chief.”
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Kamala Harris in July 2024.
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By releasing the extensive report, the Democratic presidential nominee’s campaign hopes to spark a conversation about former President Trump’s physical health and his fitness to serve as president, a Harris campaign aide told ABC News on condition of anonymity.
The 78-year-old candidate — who, if elected to a second term, would leave office as the oldest president in US history — has shared only limited information about his health for years.
The Trump campaign was quick to respond to this pressure, releasing a statement shortly after the White House shared Harris’ health statement calling the vice president “completely unqualified” to be president.
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“President Trump has voluntarily released updates from his personal physician as well as detailed reports from Dr. Ronny Jackson who treated him after the first assassination attempt. They all concluded that he is in perfect and excellent health to be commander in chief,” said Trump Campaign Communications Director Steven Cheung.
Cheung also asserted that the former president “maintained an extremely busy and active campaign schedule unlike any other in political history, while Kamala Harris could not keep up with the demands of the campaign and reveals daily that she is completely unqualified to be president of the United States.”
“Her schedule is much easier because, as they say, she doesn’t have the stamina of President Trump. Polls reflect that,” the communications director asserted.
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Donald Trump in October 2024.
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Along with the statement, the Trump campaign is also linking to letters released by his former White House physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson, after the politician’s ear was grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt on July 13, as well as a doctor’s note he shared about Joe Biden’s 81 .birthday last year.
A letter dated November 20, 2023, written by doctor Bruce Aronwald, states that as of September 2023, the former president’s health is “excellent.”
In Harris’ new health report, Simmons noted that the presidential candidate has a history of seasonal allergies and hives, or hives, but has been able to “dramatically” improve her symptoms through allergen immunotherapy.
The doctor also stated that Harris wears contact lenses for mild nearsightedness and disclosed her family history, including her mother’s colon cancer. Her mother Shyamala died of colon cancer in 2009.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education