GREENVILLE, N.C. — Vice President Kamala Harris suggested Sunday that former President Donald Trump is trying to return to the White House without revealing vital details about his health and policy plans that voters need to make an informed choice in the election.
At a raucous rally in the battleground state of North Carolina, Harris said Trump isn’t being “transparent with voters.” She cited his refusal to take part in a second debate with her, along with his decision to bow out of an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” as part of the show’s traditional presidential election special. She also questioned why Trump hasn’t made public a comprehensive report on his health.
“He is unwilling to meet for a second debate,” Harris said. “And here’s the thing, here’s the thing, it makes you wonder. It makes you wonder, why does his staff want him to hide away? One must question, one must question, are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America? Is that what’s going on?”
Invoking Trump’s medical history may serve a particular purpose for Harris, reminding voters that they’re a generation apart in age and that at 78, Trump is the oldest presidential nominee in U.S. history.
Harris released a summary of her medical history Saturday. Her White House doctor described her as a “healthy 59-year-old female who has a medical history notable for seasonal allergies and urticaria,” known as hives.
Trump told CBS News in August that he would release his medical records. “Oh sure, I would do that very gladly, oh sure,” he said.
On Saturday, the Trump campaign issued a news release that included a three-paragraph letter from Trump’s personal physician in November stating that he was in “excellent” overall health, with his physical exams in “normal range” and his cognitive tests “exceptional.”
“He has maintained an extremely busy and active campaign schedule unlike any other in political history, whereas Kamala Harris has been unable to keep up with the demands of campaigning and reveals on a daily basis she is wholly unqualified to be President of the United States,” Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, said in a statement.
The release also included two letters from Ronny Jackson, Trump’s former White House physician and now a Republican House member from Texas, providing updates on Trump’s condition after he suffered a gunshot wound in an assassination attempt in July.
“Check this out,” Harris said at the rally. “He refuses to release his medical records. I’ve done it. Every other presidential candidate in the modern era has done it.”
Harris is competing hard in North Carolina, which hasn’t voted for a Democratic presidential nominee since Barack Obama in 2008. Before Obama, the last Democratic presidential nominee to win the state in a general election was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Polls show North Carolina is a toss-up, and Democrats are looking to flip a state that would complicate Trump’ chances of collecting 270 electoral votes, the magic number needed to win the presidency.
Holding clipboards, Democratic campaign aides approached Harris supporters as they stood in line to enter the arena Sunday, inviting them to knock on doors on her behalf and to staff phone banks.
“If we win North Carolina, that’s the whole thing. There’s no path for Trump,” said Chris Schulte, chairman of the Onslow County party, who attended the event.
Harris stuck to familiar themes in her 25-minute address, pledging to codify abortion rights in law if she’s elected in November and to preserve constitutional freedoms she said are in jeopardy if Trump serves another term.
After she warned that Trump would “weaponize” the Justice Department “against his political enemies,” the crowd began to chant, “Lock him up!”
Pointing toward the crowd, Harris discouraged the chant, which Trump supporters have used over the years to demean his political rivals.
“Hold on,” Harris said. “Let the courts handle that. And let’s handle November.”
Supporters lined up hours before Harris’ appearance at the East Carolina University basketball arena. They filled the 8,000-seat facility and, before her arrival, danced on the gym floor to the Commodores’ “Brick House” and other songs blasting from overhead speakers.
A disc jockey kept Harris’ supporters entertained as they waited for her to take the stage, something of a campaign novelty meant to keep the crowd energized throughout. It worked.
Harris got a boisterous reception, with chants and applause so deafening that at times she could barely be heard above the din.
That people were willing to come out on a Sunday, in the middle of football season, demonstrated that Harris has a realistic chance of winning the state, her supporters said.
“In the South, it’s God, family and football,” said Tanyetta Hill, 40, the second vice chairperson of the Onslow County Democratic Party, who came to the event. “On a Sunday, people are not in church because they’ve been on line [for the rally] and they’re not watching football. So this kind of turnout is amazing.”
