Republican presidential candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the media as he arrives at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Michigan on October 18, 2024.
Win Mcnamee | Getty Images
Donald Trump on Friday deflected further questions about whether he would release his current medical records and doubled down on his refusal to provide a health update even as Kamala Harris works to sow doubts about his fitness for the presidency.
When the 78-year-old Republican candidate was asked whether he would release his health records, he indicated that he had already revealed enough information about his health.
“Yes, my health records – I’ve had five checkups in the last four years. You have them all,” Trump told a reporter on an airport tarmac after landing in Detroit, Michigan, on Friday afternoon.
Trump then appeared to suggest that he was too busy campaigning against Vice President Harris, the Democratic nominee, to take the time to update his files.
“Obviously I’m in the middle of a very big and very contentious fight,” he said. “We are leaders. I passed my health exams.”
Trump added that he “took cognitive tests twice and I passed them. That means a perfect score.”
“I want to see her take a cognitive test because she couldn't pass because she wasn't born smart,” he said before walking away from the press.
The Trump campaign did not respond to CNBC's request for additional comment on Trump's comments in Michigan.
Trump told CBS News in August that he would “love” to release his medical records, but his campaign has not done so.
Harris, who turns 60 on Sunday, released a detailed health report from her White House doctor on Oct. 12. That same day, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung claimed in a statement that the Republican candidate had “voluntarily released several health reports.”
Cheung referred to a three-paragraph letter from Dr. Bruce Aronwald, published last November, referring to an investigation into Trump conducted more than a year ago.
Cheung also pointed to two memos written in July by Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, who formerly served as Trump's White House physician. Those memos focused on the injury Trump suffered when he narrowly survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally on July 13.
Meanwhile, Harris recently stepped up her health-related attacks on Trump, who would become the oldest person in U.S. history to be elected president if he prevails in the Nov. 5 election.
During a rally in North Carolina on Sunday, she spotlighted Trump's refusal to release a comprehensive health report and his decision not to agree to a second debate.
“You wonder why his co-workers want him to hide? You have to ask yourself, you have to ask yourself: Are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America? “Is that what’s going on?” Harris said.
Read more about CNBC's politics coverage
On Friday, she addressed a Politico report that a Trump adviser told a podcast that the former president had pulled out of an interview on the show because he was “exhausted.”
Trump also cut a handful of other interviews — including one with CNBC — in the final weeks leading up to Election Day.
“If he can’t handle the rigors of the campaign, is he fit for the job? I think that’s a fair question,” Harris said at an event in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Harris has also questioned Trump's mental fitness. In a widely watched interview with Fox News on Wednesday evening, Harris said Trump was “unfit for duty,” “unstable” and “dangerous.”
She also mocked Trump for his bizarre town hall event near Philadelphia on Monday night.
After two medical emergencies interrupted the scheduled question-and-answer session, Trump opted to simply listen to music while standing on stage in front of the crowd. In that interlude, which lasted 39 minutes, Trump swayed to the music but made few comments.
Harris' account on X responded dryly: “I hope he's okay.”
Comments are closed.