Biden briefly transfers power to Vice President Harris while he undergoes routine colonoscopy
US President Joe Biden (L) and US Vice President Kamala Harris arrive during a signing ceremony for H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on November 15, 2021.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
President Joe Biden will transfer power to Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday for the brief period of time when he is under anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy, the White House said.
Press secretary Jen Psaki noted in a statement to White House reporters that the same process was followed in 2002 and 2007, when then-President George W. Bush underwent the same medical procedure.
“The Vice President will work from her office in the West Wing during this time,” Psaki said in the statement Friday morning.
Former President Donald Trump reportedly refused anesthesia for a medical procedure, precisely because he did not want to hand power to then-Vice President Mike Pence, according to a book from his third press secretary, Stephanie Grisham.
The White House said it will publicly share a written summary of the 78-year-old Biden’s physical later Friday afternoon.
Biden’s motorcade arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center before 9 a.m. ET.
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.
