With the U.S President, Joe Biden’s , movement on Friday to a hospital for anesthesia check-up that may take days to be completed, the country’s Vice President, Kamala Harris, will serve as acting president until medical report confirms that Biden is fit to continue in office as President.
A statement issued by the White House Press Secretary, Ms. Jen Psaki, indicated that in similar situation in the past during President George Bush’s tenure, the constitutional provisions were strictly complied with in that the then Vice President took over the affairs of government.
She stated: “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 added
The statement confirmed that President Biden arrived at the Walter Reed Medical Centre on Friday for his annual physical, his first while serving as president, adding that the White House will release a report on Mr. Biden’s health later on Friday.
According to the Press Secretary, the physical is not initially on the public presidential schedule but was announced hours before Mr. Biden left the White House at around 8.30am and he arrived at the hospital in Maryland at 8.51am.
President Biden, who turned 79 on Saturday, is the oldest President so far in US history, beating former President George Bush’s record of 70 years when he took over as President in January 2017
Before Trump, President Ronald Reagan was the oldest to be elected President in 1981 at the age of 69 years and left office in 1989 at the age of 77 years after serving for two terms.
Ms. Harris, who is the first woman to serve as vice president, is also the first woman to wield presidential power.
As concerns about Mr. Biden’s age have been mounting in recent months, the administration had said on numerous occasions that he would undergo a physical this year and that the results would be made public.
