President Biden will temporarily transfer power to Vice President Kamala Harris.

What Happened: On Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced that President Biden would be temporarily transferring power to his vice president while he undergoes a colonoscopy at Walter Reed Medical Center.

“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.”

Background: The transfer of power while a President undergoes routine medical treatment isn’t unheard of. However, it was a point of tension during the Trump administration. According to a book by former White House Press Sec. Stephanie Grisham former President Trump was so opposed to signing over power to Mike Pence that he underwent a routine procedure without any anesthetic.

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What Makes It Interesting: The White House has been doing damage control after a report from CNN detailed multiple White House staffers saying there is obvious tension between the President and his second in command. Since the report which claimed there is an “exhausted stalemate” between Biden and Harris other reports have also emerged that the President is considering options to remove her from office.

After the report emerged Press Sec. Psaki also tweeted a statement of support for Vice President Harris which seemed to reference the CNN report.

Vice President Kamala Harris has been experiencing dismal approval ratings, and some political pundits have speculated she may be the least popular VP in modern history.

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