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Kamala Harris releases ‘excellent’ medical report, seeks to draw contrast with Donald Trump

Trump has shared only limited information about his health over the years, and the move aims to raise questions about his fitness to serve

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Democratic US presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Chandler, Arizona, on Thursday. Photo: TNS

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 released Saturday that summarises her medical history and status.

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Joshua Simmons, an Army colonel and doctor to the vice-president, wrote that Harris, 59, 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.

Harris’ campaign hopes the release of her medical report will draw a contrast with Republican Donald Trump, who has shared only limited information about his health over the years, and raise questions about his fitness to serve, according to a campaign aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Trump has released very little health information, including after his ear was grazed by a bullet during an assassination attempt in July in Pennsylvania.

Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said on Saturday that Trump has voluntarily released updates from his personal doctor as well as detailed reports from congressman Ronny Jackson, who was Trump’s doctor at the White House. Jackson treated Trump after the assassination attempt.

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