Presidential powers will be temporarily transferred to Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday as President Joe Biden receives anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy.
Harris will become the first woman and the first person of color to be imbued with presidential powers.
“As was the case when President George W. Bush had the same procedure in 2002 and 2007, and following the process set out in the Constitution, President Biden will transfer power to the Vice President for the brief period of time when he is under anesthesia,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. “The Vice President will work from her office in the West Wing during this time.”
CNN adds additional context:
Earlier this year, former President Donald Trump’s ex-press secretary Stephanie Grisham heavily implied that Biden’s predecessor underwent a colonoscopy in a secret visit to Walter Reed in 2019, but kept it quiet to avoid transferring presidential power to then-Vice President Mike Pence.
In her book, “I’ll Take Your Questions Now,” Grisham does not use the term colonoscopy but heavily implies that’s what the trip was for. She says Trump’s hospital visit, which stirred weeks-long speculation about his health was a “very common procedure,” during which “a patient is put under.” She also writes that Bush had a similar procedure while in office. Grisham writes Trump did not want then-Vice President Mike Pence to be in power while he was sedated, which was part of the reason he kept his visit private. He also “did not want to be the butt of a joke” on late-night television, writes Grisham.
Biden is receiving a full physical at Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday. He turns 79-year old on Saturday.
Bloomberg reports:
Biden’s 2019 report, signed by his longtime physician Kevin O’Connor, who is now the president’s official physician, listed an “irregularly irregular” heartbeat, high levels of fat in the blood, acid reflux and seasonal allergies. At the time, he took three prescriptions — Eliquis and Crestor for his heart and blood issues, and Dymista for allergies — and two over-the-counter drugs, Nexium for acid reflux and Allegra for allergies.
Since then, officials have reported only one major health issue for Biden, two foot fractures that took place a few weeks after he was elected. Biden has said the injuries happened while he was playing with his dog Major, who slid on a throw rug that Biden then slipped on. He suffered hairline fractures and briefly wore a medical boot on his foot. After an X-ray in early February, O’Connor said the president had “completely healed.”
Biden is the oldest person to be president.
