Kamala Harris to temporarily take over Joe Biden’s presidential powers - here’s why

Kamala Harris made history and became the first woman with presidential power while Joe Biden underwent a routine colonoscopy.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed to media that Biden temporarily transferred power to Vice President Kamala Harris while he was under anesthesia for the procedure.

It's not unusual for a vice president to assume presidential powers while the president receives a medical procedure that requires anesthesia. Throughout their term, then-Vice President Dick Cheney did so on multiple occasions when then-President George W. Bush underwent routine colonoscopies.

“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,” Psaki said in a statement.

“The Vice President will work from her office in the West Wing during this time,” it continued.

According to a tweet from Bloomberg White House reporter Jennifer Epstein, the transfer of powers lasted less than an hour. “President Biden sent his letter transferring power to Vice President Harris at 10:10 a.m. EST and his letter resuming his duties at 11:35 a.m., the White House says,” Epstein wrote.

President Biden arrived Friday morning at Walter Reed Medical Center to undergo his annual physical. The White House has said they will be releasing a summary of the results of Biden's physical later today.

Although the routine transfer of powers is completely normal, former President Donald Trump is rumored to have gone the extra mile to avoid doing so with former VP Mike Pence. In fact, his ex-press secretary Stephanie Grisham has heavily implied in her book, I'll Take Your Questions Now, that he underwent a colonoscopy in secret during his visit to Walter Reed in 2019.