Harris makes history — again
WASHINGTON — It was the colonoscopy that made history.
While President Joe Biden went under anesthesia Friday for the routine medical procedure, Vice President Kamala Harris assumed the powers of commander in chief.
It was the first time that someone who wasn’t a man served in that role, even temporarily. Biden ceded his authority to Harris from 10:10 a.m. Eastern time to 11:35 a.m., and the White House said she spent the time working from her office in the West Wing.
The transfer of power was a reminder of Harris’ standing as the first woman and the first person of color to be vice president.
“Has the glass ceiling shattered?” said Bakari Sellers, a political ally of Harris. “No, but it does have another crack.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden knew he was “making history that was long overdue” when selecting Harris as his running mate, adding that he chose her because she was ready to “step in if there was a reason to.”
“We make history every time they’re working together, every time she’s out there speaking on behalf of the government as the vice president of the United States,” Psaki told reporters at Friday’s briefing. “But certainly today was another chapter in that history.”
Once Biden was no longer under anesthesia, Harris left the White House for a trip to Columbus, Ohio, where she visited a union headquarters as part of the administration’s efforts to promote its infrastructure legislation.
Harris has drawn outsized attention not only because of her historic status but because of Biden’s age. He is the oldest person to be sworn in as president, and he turns 79 on Saturday.
Biden received the colonoscopy during what the White House described as his regular medical examination. He said he had a “great physical” when he walked out of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to return to the White House.
Andra Gillespie, a scholar in African American politics at Emory University, said she hopes Harris’ moment “helps normalize the idea” of a woman serving in positions of power.
“This moment is important not because it gets a lot of attention, or will be pivotal in the life of country,” she said. “But it helps us to grow accustomed to seeing women in this position.”
People should know that “business goes on as usual” with a woman in charge, she said.