Vice President Kamala Harris made a concerted pivot over the weekend, releasing a two-page letter about her own health and going after Donald Trump for refusing to do so.
“She possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency,” concluded US Army physician Joshua R. Simmons, Harris’ doctor.
At a rally in North Carolina on Sunday, Harris then referred to the letter — and Trump’s refusal to release any sort of detailed medical information — in a new attack on his age and competence.
“It makes you wonder: Why does his staff want him to hide away?” said Harris. “One must question: Are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America?”
There’s a few strategic goals here:
To piss Trump off. Trump likes to think of himself as manly. Tough. Strong. And he hates when anyone questions that. As we saw in the debate last month, he’s unable to resist even obvious trolling attempts by Harris (his crowd sizes!) and my bet is that the Harris team is hoping that Trump again takes the bait and goes off message for a few days. The more Trump talks about his health, the less he is talking about the economy and immigration — two winning issues for him.
To raise the age issue. Yes, this is obvious but, like, Trump is 78 years old. And would be the oldest person ever to serve as president if he is in office through 2029. Trump’s age — and how little we know about his medical past — has yet to really penetrate with swing voters in the same way that Joe Biden’s age did. Making a concerted messaging push on it is clearly Harris trying to inject it into the thoughts of undecided voters as they make their minds up.
To influence men. Trump is running well ahead of Harris among men — and has made inroads among black and Hispanic men in particular. Questioning Trump’s toughness, Harris hopes, will undermine some of the bravado and muscular masculinity from Trump that appeals to some men.
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The Morning: Harris goes after Trump's health