Vice President Kamala Harris released a report on her health and medical history on Saturday as her team seeks to place former President Donald Trump’s health and advanced age under greater scrutiny.
Harris is reported to be in excellent health, according to her physician, Dr. Joshua Simmons, who stated in a letter that she possesses the physical and mental resilience necessary to effectively carry out the duties of the presidency, including those of Chief Executive, Head of State, and Commander in Chief.
History of seasonal allergies and hives
Dr. Simmons noted that Harris has a history of seasonal allergies and hives (urticaria), which he described as a notable part of her health record. He also mentioned that she takes over-the-counter medications to manage these symptoms, which have never been severe.
Simmons provided details of Harris’ most recent physical examination, conducted in April 2024, noting that the results were unremarkable. He also reported that her routine bloodwork was unremarkable, though he pointed out that her Vitamin D levels were in the insufficient range. Additionally, he noted that Harris has a family history of colon cancer but did not report any other significant personal health conditions.
Kamala Harris medical report
A senior aide to Harris indicated that the release of the vice president’s medical report serves as an opportunity to draw attention to how little is known about the health of 78-year-old Trump. The most detailed information available on Trump’s health comes from a nearly seven-year-old report by his then-physician, following a physical exam. That report revealed that Trump had high cholesterol, was overweight, and had rosacea, a benign skin condition.
Trump did not release his medical records during his first presidential campaign in 2016, and despite multiple promises to do so during this race, he has yet to fulfill that pledge.
Trump medical report
For Trump’s medical records, his campaign has referenced previous letters from former White House physician Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, and Trump’s personal physician, Dr. Bruce Aronwald. Jackson’s letters, released in July after an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, described Trump’s ear injury in detail but did not address his overall health. In one of the letters, Jackson stated that he had reviewed Trump’s medical records from Butler Memorial Hospital and noted that Trump was recovering rapidly from the injury.
Aronwald’s letter, released in November last year, stated that he had conducted several comprehensive examinations and found Trump’s overall health to be excellent, although no further details were provided.
Trump in perfect health?
Trump campaign Communications Director Steven Cheung emphasized that Trump had voluntarily released updates from his personal physician, along with detailed reports from Dr. Ronny Jackson, who treated him after the assassination attempt. Cheung added that all reports had concluded that Trump was in perfect health to serve as Commander in Chief. He further asserted that Trump has maintained an extremely busy and active campaign schedule, in contrast to Kamala Harris, whom he criticized as unable to meet the demands of campaigning and unqualified to be President of the United States.
Joe Biden medical report
Prior to this new report, little was known about Harris’ health. In contrast to President Joe Biden, whose physician has issued memos following his routine physicals, no similar reports had been released for the vice president. Only Harris’ annual check-up in 2021 was announced by the White House, but no details from that visit were made public. The White House had also previously announced that Harris tested positive for COVID-19 in April 2022, for which she was treated with the drug Paxlovid.
Kamala Harris younger than Trump
This move by Harris marks a significant shift in how age has become a political liability. Prior to dropping out of the race for a second term, Biden’s age was frequently used by Trump and Republicans as a point of attack. Trump often criticized Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, as “sleepy Joe,” labeling him as sick and weak. Now, Harris, who is nearly two decades younger than Trump, and her allies are focusing on Trump’s age as a point of criticism.
Just hours before the vice-presidential debate earlier this month, the Harris campaign released an ad targeting Trump through Vance. The ad characterized Vance as not only weird and dangerous but also potentially a heartbeat away from the presidency, ending with clips of Trump appearing to slur his words.
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