"Active lifestyle"

Harris wants to score points against Trump with health

(Bild: APA/AFP)

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has published a medical certificate. She wants to use the certificate, which attests to her "excellent health", to score points against her rival Donald Trump. The Republican, who is 20 years older, does not share such detailed information about his fitness.

The 59-year-old has "the physical and mental capacity to successfully fulfill the duties of the office of president", her doctor Joshua Simmons explained in the report published on Saturday.

Harris suffers from allergies and hives
The results of a physical examination in April were "unremarkable". According to the report, the Vice President suffers only from seasonal allergies and hives, which are treated with over-the-counter and prescription medication. Harris is also slightly short-sighted and wears contact lenses, her doctor explained. She is a non-smoker, consumes alcohol in moderation and leads an active lifestyle.

A few weeks before the US presidential election, Harris wants to bring the issue of age and health of the candidates back into the election campaign with the publication of the report. According to her campaign team, the Vice President is hoping to spark a debate about the suitability of Trump, who is almost 20 years older.

(Bild: AFP/Logan Cyrus)

President's fitness no longer a campaign issue
Since the withdrawal of US President Joe Biden from the race for the White House, Trump is the oldest presidential candidate in US history. Before Biden declared his decision not to run again in July, debates about the 81-year-old's physical and mental fitness had dominated the election campaign. However, since it became clear that Harris would be running against Trump in November, the topic has hardly played a role in the media.

A few hours after the report was published, Harris' spokesman Ian Sams directly called on Trump to also publish information about his state of health. "What is he hiding?" asked Sams.

Trump's doctor only makes vague statements
An article in the "New York Times" recently criticized the fact that Trump - unlike Biden - has never disclosed detailed information about his state of health. In 2023, Trump had published a report from his former White House doctor stating that he was in "excellent" health. However, it did not provide any details. Another article in the New York Times also pointed out that Trump's speeches have recently become increasingly "longer", "more confusing" and "more vulgar".

On Saturday, Trump's campaign team again published a statement by his former personal physician Ronny Jackson, which had already been published after the attempted assassination in July. Jackson, who is now a member of parliament, had stated in it that Trump was "doing extremely well" and was recovering "quickly" from his ear injury.

Trump's ear was injured in the assassination attempt in July.

(Bild: APA/AP)

Trump's campaign team also reissued a statement from another doctor who had examined Trump in September 2023. The doctor, Bruce Aronwald, had certified that Trump was in "excellent" health. However, he only gave a few details and did not specify which tests he had subjected Trump to during the examination.

Trump's campaign team: more "active" than any politician 
Trump's campaign team also stated that Trump had an "extremely busy" schedule and was more "active" in the election campaign than any politician before him. Harris' is making fewer appointments because she apparently does not have Trump's "stamina", Trump's team claimed. She was therefore "completely unsuitable" to become US president.