Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Harris briefly in power for Biden colonoscopy
BETHESDA, Md. — President Joe Biden briefly transferred power to Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday while he underwent a routine colonoscopy, setting up a history-making moment as Harris became the first woman to hold that authority during the short time she stepped in as acting president.
President Joe Biden, 78, the oldest person to serve as president, transferred power to Harris, the first woman, person of color and person of South Asian descent to be vice president, for one hour and 25 minutes, while he was under anesthesia at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He turns 79 on Saturday. Press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden resumed his duties after speaking with Harris and White House chief of staff Ron Klain at approximately 11:35 a.m.
Interest in Biden’s health has been high ever since he declared his candidacy for the White House in 2019 and remains intense as speculation about a 2024 reelection bid swirls. The visit to the medical center in the Washington suburbs was for his first routine physical exam as president — and his first since December 2019.
While serving as acting president Harris was working from her office in the West Wing, Psaki said. She later traveled to Ohio once Biden awoke from the procedure.
Psaki said Biden’s doctor’s would release a “comprehensive written summary” of his physical, as is customary for presidents and presidential candidates. Former President Donald Trump, 75, was sharply criticized for releasing only cursory details on his health while running and serving in the White House, including concealing the seriousness of his COVID-19 illness a month before the 2020 presidential election.