Former President Donald Trump attends the Fiserv Forum on the final night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The bandage from the assassination attempt is still wrapped around his ear. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call (via ZUMA Press)
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Vice President Kamala Harris had an appendectomy when she was 3 years old. She stays up-to-date on preventive medical screenings such as colonoscopies and mammograms. She manages her seasonal allergies and sporadic skin reactions with nasal spray and Claritin, and treats her mild myopia with contact lenses. At a recent medical examination in April, Harris’ blood pressure was normal at 128/74 mmHg. Her heart rate was 78 beats per minute and in good health.
These findings are “not noteworthy,” as her doctor, Dr. Joshua Simmons, said in a memo released by the White House on Saturday. In other words, it’s “normal”. The same goes for presidential candidates disclosing personal health information to the public.
President Trump has said he is “willing” to publicly share his latest medical information, but has not yet done so.
Donald Trump, 78, is nearly 20 years older than Harris, but has been less vocal. In August, he told CBS News that he would be “willing” to share his latest medical information publicly, but he has not yet done so. The last time he publicly disclosed substantive details about his health was nearly seven years ago, with notes from his doctor at the time stating that he had high cholesterol, a benign skin disease called rosacea, and a normalized weight. When it was measured, it said that I was “overweight.” index (BMI) scale. The following year, the president announced a more specific set of health vitals, including a BMI category of “obese,” which correlates with a higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
When Trump suffered an ear injury in an assassination attempt over the summer, his campaign did not release medical records or provide an explanation. The most recent document of any kind is from late 2023, at which point President Trump shared a three-paragraph letter from his doctor with Truth Social stating that his physical exam was “well within normal limits and that his cognitive tests were It was exceptional.”
This isn’t the first time he’s been vague about his health. When Trump was hospitalized with the coronavirus in 2020, his administration insisted that the economy was “up.” The New York Times later reported that his blood oxygen levels had dropped to dangerous levels, and officials feared he might need to be placed on a ventilator, aides said. It was reported that his condition was much worse than it was.
Mr. Trump’s late physician, Dr. Harold N. Bornstein, said in 2015 that Mr. Trump would be “the healthiest person ever elected president.”
Today, that part is unlikely, especially without medical evidence to support it. But with Joe Biden out of the race, former President Trump is now claiming another superlative: the oldest presidential candidate in history.
