President Biden temporarily transferred power to Vice President Harris on Friday before he went under anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy.
Biden had procedure done at Walter Reed Medical Center as part of his annual physical, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
“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. “The Vice President will work from her office in the West Wing during this time.”
After transferring power at 10:10 a.m., Biden completed his colonoscopy and resumed his duties as president at 11:35 on Friday morning. He spoke with Harris and chief of staff Ron Klain at that time and “was in good spirits,” Psaki said.
.@POTUS spoke with @VP and @WHCOS at approximately 11:35am this morning. @POTUS was in good spirits and at that time resumed his duties. He will remain at Walter Reed as he completes the rest of his routine physical.
— Jen Psaki (@PressSec) November 19, 2021
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The White House will release a summary of the results of Biden’s physical later Friday, Psaki said.
Biden, who will turn 79 on Saturday, was the oldest president in U.S. history at the time he was sworn-in.
His age and mental capabilities have been questioned by many Republicans, including GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson, who served as White House physician under Former President Barack Obama.
Jackson recently stated that Biden has “age-related cognitive decline” and is not “mentally fit” to serve as president.
Jackson, speaking on a podcast with Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), also said that he received a “scathing” email from Obama accusing him of “betrayal” for talking about Biden’s mental state in the past.
“All I know is that he’s got age-related cognitive decline, right. He is not mentally fit right now,” Jackson said on the podcast, the Washington Examiner reported. “He’s 78 years old and you can see it. You don’t need to be a physician to look at him and to look at his behavior and some of the other stuff, just the way he shuffles away, stares off into space.”
“I know what that job entails, both physically and mentally, and how demanding it is. And I can tell you right now, I’m 100% sure that Joe Biden is incapable of doing that job,” the doctor added.
This is an excerpt from The Hill.
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