Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended

Biden news: President pardons Thanksgiving turkey after colonoscopy put Kamala Harris in charge

Biden juggled a turkey pardoning alongside news of the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict on Friday

Graig Graziosi
Friday 19 November 2021 22:06 GMT
Comments
Related video: President Joe Biden visits GM’s Factory ZERO plant in Detroit

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Joe Biden underwent a “routine colonoscopy” today, during which time Vice President Kamala Harris served as acting President of the United States. Later in the day he pardoned a pair of turkeys named Peanut Butter and Jelly, continuing a longstanding presidential tradition in the days before Thanksgiving.

Jen Psaki said Mr Biden’s health records would be released on Friday and noted that he was in good health an hour after his procedure.

Mr Biden transferred power to Ms Harris as he was anesthetised during the procedure. As a result, Ms Harris became the first woman to hold US presidential powers. Mr Biden resumed his role as president around 11:35am EST.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki spoke to reporters about Mr Biden’s hospital visit, noting that it was not an emergency and that it was not the first time a president had undergone the procedure.

“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,” Ms Psaki said. “The Vice President will work from her office in the West Wing during this time.”

Thanks for folllwing

Thank you for following The Independent’s live coverage of Joe Biden’s administration today.

Keep with The Independent for coverage of all of the days events.

Graig Graziosi19 November 2021 22:04

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in