Biden briefly transfers power to Kamala Harris

A smiling president Joe Biden returned Friday to the White House from an extended medical checkup during which vice president Kamala Harris briefly assumed the presidency while he was under anesthesia.

"I feel great," Biden, wearing his trademark aviator sunglasses, said after disembarking from the Marine One helicopter. "We're in great shape."

The White House said a "comprehensive written summary" of the results from the president's medical exam would be made public Friday.

While the visit at Walter Reed hospital was described as a routine, once-a-year exam, the requirement for Biden to transfer power while sedated during a colonoscopy made history.

However briefly, Harris became the first woman to hold presidential power in the United States. She is already the first female vice president.

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 189 union hall on 19 November, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio, to promote the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

The White House press office said that official letters to Congress declaring the temporary transfer of power were sent at 10:10 am (1510 GMT). "The president resumed his duties at 11:35 am," (1635 GMT), the White House said in a statement.

"Today that was another chapter in that history for many women, young girls across the country," press secretary Jen Psaki said, noting Harris' trailblazing role.