The recent sharing of Kamala Harris’ medical report by the White House Military Office on October 12, while trying to paint a picture of an ‘excellent health’ status, seems to neglect highlighting her significant health issues. Despite the claim by Joshua R. Simmons, Harris’ physician, of Harris having the physical and mental capacities for presidency duties, it cannot be ignored that at age 59, Harris grapples with conditions like nearsightedness, seasonal allergies aggravated by pollen, and urticaria, a skin condition causing redness and itchiness.
What the physician failed to emphasize enough is that these conditions, while considered common, may possibly affect her ability to function at the utmost efficiency, a critical requirement for her present role. The reassurance that these conditions are ‘well-managed’ seems more an attempt to downplay these health challenges rather than the true presentation of her health condition. The report did admit that Harris needs lenses to correct her nearsightedness, thus achieving something akin to 20/20 vision.
Moreover, a critical consideration was included subtly – the Vice President has a family history of colon cancer on her maternal side. While Harris may keep up with her preventive care recommendations, such as regular colonoscopies and mammograms, this genetic predisposition cannot be entirely dismissed as a potential medical concern for the future.
The narrative from Simmons painted Harris as having a ‘very healthy diet’ and an ‘active physical routine’, without providing precise details on what these statements mean. Upon closer inspection, such generalizations, without specific evidence, may objectively seem like an effort to present a favorable image rather than a fact-based medical assertion.
Interestingly, this level of information sharing differs greatly from that of former President Donald Trump, leading one to seriously question Harris’ motives. Is this a desperate attempt to showcase complete transparency, in contrast to her Republican opponent in the upcoming presidential race on November 5th?
Strange circumstances preceded this updated health report of Vice President Harris. President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race on July 21, effectively making Trump, at 78, the older candidate. This occurred after a concentrated attempt to underscore Biden’s age during the campaign battles between Biden and Trump, despite the approximately three and a half years age difference between the two.
Biden’s retreat from the presidential election came on the heels of strong criticisms of his performance at a debate in June. Biden’s highly unimpressive performance at the debate only emphasized the drawbacks that older age can bring, making this whole narrative of age scrutiny seem more credible.
The health details of former President Trump are less publicly available. His most recent medical report was shared in a post on Truth Social on November 20, 2023. The letter from Dr. Bruce Aronwald described Trump’s health status as ‘excellent’ but refrained from divulging further specifics.
Interestingly, Trump voluntarily expressed his willingness to share his medical records, an action yet to be fulfilled. This is contrary to Harris, who seemed too eager to exhibit her medical state. Could this be another misplaced strategy to turn up the heat against her political opponent running against improved odds?
It is worth mentioning that this information was released just three months after an assassination attempt at Trump’s campaign event on July 13 in Pennsylvania, which took a life from the audience. The incident left Trump with an ear wound, the extent of which remained under wraps as the medical team maintained significant discretion.
Placed on record was a statement by Republican representative and physician Ronny Jackson of Texas, which confirmed the ear wound caused by a gunshot. Jackson’s letter, released on July 20, affirmed that the wound was healing appropriately. Again, the Trump campaign refrained from entertaining requests for medical records, thus maintaining a strong sense of privacy.
Contrary to this, a senior Harris aide reportedly suggested that releasing the Vice President’s records served as a method of highlighting the dearth of information on Trump’s health. This perceived ‘opening’ for criticism only underscores the truly different approaches to handling personal health information in such a high stakes political game.
Therefore, as the stage is set for the upcoming presidential race, these contrasting attitudes towards transparency diverge notably. While Harris appears to be overzealously open about her health conditions, Trump maintains a measured reticence. These drastic differences in strategy shed light on the starkly varied tactics in American politics.