US Vice President Kamala Harris held presidential powers for an hour and 25 minutes as President Joe Biden underwent a routine colonoscopy on Friday. Biden was in “good spirits” after his first physical at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland since assuming office. The White House said that official letters to Congress declaring the temporary transfer of power were sent at 10:10 am (1510 GMT).
“The president resumed his duties at 11:35 am,” (1635 GMT), White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
Biden resumed his duties after speaking with Harris and chief of staff Ron Klain at approximately 11:35 am, Psaki said. Biden will complete the remainder of his medical exam before returning to the White House Friday afternoon.
Harris is the first woman to assume presidential power.
Biden’s physical was announced just hours before he traveled to the military hospital.
What is the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution?
As required by the 25th Amendment in the Constitution, Biden sent a letter to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., president pro tempore of the Senate, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., stating that he was unable to discharge his duties while under anesthesia, temporarily transferring power to Harris.
Biden colonoscopy: Harris first female US Vice President to get presidential powers
Former Vice President Dick Cheney assumed charge briefly when then-President George W Bush underwent routine colonoscopies in 2002 and 2007. Donald Trump‘s ex-press secretary Stephanie Grisham implied that the former president had undergone colonoscopy at Walter Reed in 2019, without anesthesia, but kept the procedure a secret to avoid transferring presidential power to then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Psaki said the White House will publicly release a written summary of the president’s physical Friday afternoon, which came a day before his 79th birthday.
Harris, the 49th and current vice president of the United States, is the first woman to hold the post.
