The White House released a medical report on Saturday concluding that Kamala Harris at 59 has “the physical and mental strength necessary to fulfill the duties of the presidency” of the United States.
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The report, extremely detailed, was published “with the agreement” of the Democratic presidential candidate on November 5, who hopes to fuel a debate on the faculties of her Republican rival Donald Trump, aged 78.
According to her doctor, the vice-president’s last medical examination in April did not report anything “out of the ordinary” and she enjoys “excellent health”. The only notable treatment: allergen immunotherapy followed for three years to reduce the symptoms of seasonal allergies.
Questions about Joe Biden’s age, toughness and mental acuity dominated his campaign, until the 81-year-old president threw in the towel in July after a disastrous debate with the former Republican president .
The issue has since rarely been discussed in the media and has had no notable influence on the polls, which are still close, despite the strong age difference between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, and the ever more pronounced trend of the latter with disjointed digressions.
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The vice-president would therefore like to bring the subject up to date, to her advantage.
His campaign team carefully read recent articles in the New York Times.
One points out that the billionaire, already widely criticized by his adversaries for not having been transparent about his health when he was president, has not published a recent medical report.
The other article in the major American daily analyzes his recent speeches, concluding that they are ever more “long,” “confused,” “vulgar” and “obsessed with the past.”
The former president, with an undeniable physical presence, has a very sustained pace of travel and rallies. But he does not show fatigue comparable to that which often marked the gait, features and speech of Joe Biden.
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And according to polls, his age is not an important issue for a large portion of voters.
A Gallup opinion poll published on October 10 indicates that 41% of voters consider the Republican too old to be president. The percentage hasn’t changed much since Kamala Harris entered the race.
According to Gallup, in June, 37% said the same thing, while two-thirds of Americans then believed that Joe Biden was too old to stay in the White House.
