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More than 230 doctors and health care providers call on Trump to release medical records
More than 230 doctors, nurses and health care professionals are calling on former President Donald Trump to release his medical records, arguing that he should be transparent about his health “given his advancing age.”
“Trump is falling concerningly short of any standard of fitness for office and displaying alarming characteristics of declining acuity,” the 238 signatories wrote in a letter dated Oct. 13 and first obtained by CBS News. “In the limited opportunities we can examine his behavior, he’s providing a deeply concerning snapshot.”
The letter was organized by the group “Doctors for Harris,” which is unaffiliated with Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign. The doctors and nurses note that presidential candidates have traditionally disclosed their medical records, including Arizona Sen. John McCain, who did so during his 2008 presidential campaign. In his 2020 race against President Biden, Trump released results of his physical in the June before Election Day.
The letter noted that absent detailed health records, “we are left to extrapolate from public appearances.”
“As we all age, we lose sharpness and revert to base instincts. We are seeing that from Trump, as he uses his rallies and appearances to ramble, meander, and crudely lash out at his many perceived grievances,” the doctors wrote.
The letter comes as Harris has been putting pressure on Trump to release his medical records, with her campaign viewing their contrast in age as a salient argument. Trump is 78, and Harris turns 60 on Sunday.
Last Friday, Harris released a letter from the physician to the vice president that said she “possesses the physical and mental resiliency” to serve as president. It also detailed specifics about her medical history and vitals, and said her most recent physical was “unremarkable.”
Harris again called on Trump to release details about his health in an interview released on Monday.
“I put out my medical records. He won’t put out his medical records. And you have to ask, why is this staff doing that? And it may be because they think he’s just not ready, and [is] unfit and unstable and should not have that level of transparency for the American people,” Harris told journalist Roland Martin in an interview for his Black Star Network.
Trump’s campaign responded to Harris’ release last Friday with letters from his personal physician Dr. Ronny Jackson, including one after the assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that said he is in “perfect and excellent health to be Commander in Chief.” The letters do not contain specifics about his health.
If elected, Trump would be the oldest president in history by the end of his term.
Mark Lopatin, a retired rheumatologist in Pennsylvania who signed the letter, said that he sees Trump as a man “who rambles” and “gets off track.”
“You’re talking about the most powerful man, or female, in the world. You’re talking about a job which is probably more stressful than any other job that I can imagine. The question is, does the person who takes that job have the resources — healthwise, physically, mentally, emotionally — to deal with that?” said Lopatin. “It boils down to transparency and intent and these kinds of things that I see from one candidate and not from another.”
On Monday, Trump called Harris’ mental acuity into question and said she should submit to a cognitive test. “Her actions have led many to believe there could be something very wrong with her,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social. The letter from the vice president’s physician released last Friday said Harris “remains in excellent health.”
Trump had told CBS News in an August interview that he would “gladly” release his medical records to the public and that he “aced” two cognitive tests. Asked Monday if details on those cognitive tests and more recent medical results would be released, Trump’s campaign pointed to their statement last Friday.
Before Mr. Biden dropped out of the race, polls showed doubts from voters about Mr. Biden’s mental and cognitive health. That has flipped since Harris became the nominee.
A CBS News poll of the “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in September found that between 64% to 68% of registered voters in those states believed Harris has the mental and cognitive health to serve as president, compared to between 47% and 49% of voters who said the same about Trump.
Hundreds of cruise passengers and workers fell ill with norovirus on three different ships this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The CDC has logged outbreaks in 2024 on 14 cruise voyages, but three ships were hit in December. This is the only month this year when the CDC has reported three confirmed norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships and there’s still more than a week to go before the month ends. In all, 301 passengers and crew members fell ill during the December outbreaks, health officials said.
Those on Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess, on a trip around Hawaii’s island, and Holland America’s Rotterdam and Zuiderdam voyages, both in the Caribbean, mostly dealt with diarrhea and vomiting.
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Two Holland America cruise ships hit by norovirus
The most recent outbreak was on Holland America’s Rotterdam ship, which set sail on Dec. 8 and is set to end its Caribbean
trip Friday in Fort Lauderdale.
Officials said 83 of the 2,192 passengers on board and 12 of the 953 crew members were sickened.
“At Holland America Line, the safety and well-being of our guests and crew is our top priority. During the current voyage, a number of guests on Rotterdam reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness,” a Holland America spokesperson said. “The cases have mostly been mild and quickly resolving.”
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In response to the outbreak, there was additional cleaning and disinfection. Sick passengers and crew members were isolated. Stool specimens were collected for testing. The cruise line also consulted with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program.
Once the Rotterdam ship arrives in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, it will undergo a comprehensive sanitization process before its next trip, according to the cruise line.
There was also a norovirus outbreak on Holland America’s Zuiderdam voyage earlier this month. Over the course of the Dec. 4-Dec. 11 voyage, 87 out of 1,923 passengers were reported ill, in addition to four of the 757 crew members, according to health officials.
A Holland America spokesperson declined to comment on the Zuiderdam outbreak because the voyage had already ended.
Norovirus, the “cruise ship virus”
Princess Cruises also dealt with a norovirus outbreak this month on its Ruby Princess ship during a cruise that started on Dec. 2 and ended on Wednesday. The ship started its journey in San Francisco and toured around Hawaii, according to CruiseMapper.
In all, 103 of 3,001 passengers and 12 of 1,142 crew members onboard reported being ill.
The Ruby Princess was also subject to increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, according to the CDC. Stool specimens were collected for testing and sick passengers and crew members were isolated. The cruise line consulted with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program.
CBS News has reached out to Princess Cruises for comment.
There are about 2,500 reported norovirus outbreaks in the U.S. each year. Norovirus, which is sometimes called the “cruise ship virus,” causes more than 90% of diarrheal disease outbreaks on cruise ships, according to the CDC. However, norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships account for only a small percentage of all reported norovirus outbreaks.
“Norovirus can be especially challenging to control on cruise ships because of the close living quarters, shared dining areas, and rapid turnover of passengers,” according to the CDC. “When the ship docks, norovirus can be brought on board in contaminated food or water; or by passengers who were infected while ashore.”
This year, the CDC has logged outbreaks on 14 cruise voyages. Norovirus was listed as the causative agent for most of the outbreaks, though one was caused by salmonella and one was caused by E. coli. The causative agent of one outbreak remains unknown.
Norovirus outbreaks are usually more common during cooler months, typically happening from November to April in countries above the equator, according to the CDC.
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