US vice president Kamala Harris is in “excellent health” and “possesses the physical and mental resiliency” required to serve as president, her doctor said in a letter summarising her medical history and status.
Dr Joshua Simmons, a US Army colonel and physician to the Vice President, wrote that 59-year-old Ms Harris maintains a healthy, active lifestyle and that her most recent physical last April was “unremarkable”.
She “possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,” he wrote in a two-page letter.
Ms Harris’ advisers hope to use the moment to draw a contrast with Republican Donald Trump, who has released only limited information about his health over the years, and to raise questions about his fitness to serve.
Mr Trump has released very little information, including after his ear was grazed by a bullet during an assassination attempt in July.
The 78-year-old eagerly questioned President Joe Biden’s health when the 81-year-old president was seeking re-election. Since Mr Biden was replaced on the ticket with Ms Harris, who is 59, Mr Trump’s own health has drawn more attention.
Last November, Mr Trump marked Mr Biden’s birthday by releasing a letter from his physician that reported the former president was in “excellent” physical and mental health.
The letter posted on Mr Trump’s social media platform contained no details to support its claims – such as on measures like weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, or the results of any test.
