Vice President Kamala Harris argued this weekend that former President Donald Trump is "hiding" from the American people and attempted to goad him into releasing updated records about his health after she did so herself on Saturday.
"Donald Trump refuses to release his medical records, and he is unwilling to meet for a second debate," Harris said Sunday. "Why does his staff want him to hide away? Are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America?"
On Saturday, Harris' physician released a two-page "Healthcare Statement," which insisted that "in summary," Harris "remains in excellent health." The statement from Harris' doctor also indicated she had her most recent annual physical exam in April of this year. Trump released his own health records while campaigning in 2016, and once he took over the White House he continued the trend. In August, with the 2024 election quickly approaching, Trump told CBS News that he would release updated medical records to the public. However, he has yet to do so, with roughly three weeks until Election Day.
WHITE HOUSE RELEASES MEDICAL REPORT ON VP KAMALA HARRIS
"He won't put out his medical records," Harris insisted Monday morning during an interview with podcast host Roland Martin. She also slammed Trump for refusing to debate a second time and questioned why Trump's "staff" would not allow him to do an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," particularly when it is tradition for both presidential candidates to do a sit down with the show.
"It may be because they think he's just not ready and unfit and unstable and should not have that level of transparency for the American people," Harris suggested.
The Trump campaign shot back against Harris' accusations, pointing out the former president has already released voluntary updates about his health. They also noted that he shared records from a July screening conducted by Dr. Ronny Jackson, a former White House physician turned GOP congressman, following the second assassination attempt on his life.
"All have concluded [Trump] is in perfect and excellent health to be Commander in Chief," said Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung. "He has maintained an extremely busy and active campaign schedule unlike any other in political history." Meanwhile, Cheung slammed Harris as being "unable to keep up with demands of campaigning," arguing that compared to Trump her schedule "is much lighter because, it is said, she does not have the stamina of President Trump."
On Sunday, during a rally in Arizona, Trump himself discussed his health and argued critics look for any reason to say he is not cognitively or physically fit to be president.
"If I pronounce the word slightly wrong … I speak for hours, mostly without a teleprompter … one mispronunciation of a word: 'He's cognitively impaired. He's getting old. He mispronounced a word like the name of the gang.'"
"But they love it, you know, because Biden was obviously cognitively repaired," Trump added at the rally. "[Harris] should have reported him because that puts our nation in danger."
Before President Biden dropped out of the presidential race in July, similar demands for his medical records were made. The medical records never came, but details from an exam of the president, which determined he had been exhibiting signs of Parkinsons Disease, eventually surfaced just days before Biden ended his run for president.
During his presidency, Biden's personal doctor released at least three separate reports updating the American public on his health. Trump, similarly, produced at least three different health records while he was serving as president.
On Sunday morning's episode of NBC's "Meet The Press," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R–La., was pressed by host Kristen Welker about whether he thought seeing detailed information about Trump's health, such as his cholesterol level, was important.
"Kristen, the American people don’t care about the cholesterol level of Donald Trump. They care about the cost of living and the fact they cannot pay for groceries because Kamala Harris and Joe Biden’s policies have put them in that situation. The medical records are irrelevant," Johnson responded. "Let’s talk about things that the American people care about. That’s why Donald Trump is surging in the polls because he’s doing that on stages, in interviews, nonstop around the clock. And Kamala Harris has done nothing."
Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
