President Biden will temporarily transfer power to Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday morning while he undergoes a colonoscopy, the White House said.
“This morning, the President will travel to Walter Reed Medical Center for a routine physical. While he is there, the President will undergo a routine colonoscopy,” press secretary Jen Psaki said.
“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. The Vice President will work from her office in the West Wing during this time.”
Psaki had earlier only said he would undergo a routine physical at Walter Reed.
The procedure was not on Biden’s original public schedule, but was announced by Psaki in a brief morning statement.
It was not immediately clear whether the exam would include a cognitive test, which some Republican lawmakers have insisted the president undergo. Psaki said the White House would provide more details after Biden arrived at the hospital.
Psaki was pressed last week about when Biden — who turns 79 on Saturday — would undergo the exam, since he has been in office for nearly 10 months and is the oldest person to hold the office of president.
“He will be doing his physical soon,” she said at the time. “As I’ve noted before, as soon as he does that, we will provide that information transparently to all of you.”
In recent weeks, the White House has attempted to shrug off questions about Biden’s health, with Psaki blaming a persistent presidential cough on allergies at one point last month.
The last detailed medical report on Biden was released in December 2019, when a doctor described him as a “healthy, vigorous, 77-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency,” per multiple reports.
A recent poll found that approximately half of all registered voters have concerns about the president’s health.
The Politico/Morning Consult survey published Wednesday found that 50 percent of registered voters disagreed with the statement “Joe Biden is in good health,” while only 40 percent agreed and 10 percent did not know or had no opinion.
The poll also found that 48 percent of voters disagreed with the statement “Joe Biden is mentally fit,” while 46 percent agreed and 6 percent did not know or had no opinion.