White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did not respond directly to a question about whether there is a plan in place to transfer power to Vice President Kamala Harris if President Joe Biden’s COVID illness worsens.
Jean-Pierre released a statement Thursday saying, “This morning, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms.”
According to a memo from White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the president was “experiencing mild symptoms, mostly rhinorrhea (or ‘runny nose’) and fatigue, with an occasional dry cough, which started yesterday evening.”
The doctor placed Biden on the anti-viral Paxlovid to treat the illness.
The president himself then appeared in a brief video posted on social media Thursday with his voice sounding raspy.
“I’m doing well,” he said. “Getting a lot of work done. Going to continue to get it done. And in the mean time, thanks for your concern. And keep the faith. It’s going to be okay.”
An update from me: pic.twitter.com/L2oCR0uUTu
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 21, 2022
I certainly do wish him well as a fellow American, and truthfully, it’s a little scary to think what the United States would look like under a President Kamala Harris.
Should the White House have responded to the transfer of power question?
When a reporter asked Jean-Pierre during her daily news briefing on Thursday if there was a transition plan if Biden’s sickness worsened, the press secretary did not answer the question.
“The president has mild symptoms. He’s able to do the business of the American people from the residence, and that’s what matters right now,” she said.
“So there’s no plan in place then?” the reporter followed up to which Jean-Pierre did not respond.
All she needed to say was, “Of course,” and then re-emphasize that Biden is doing well so such a transfer likely will not be necessary.
Temporary transfers have happened before.
In fact, Biden briefly transferred the powers of the presidency to Harris when he underwent a medical procedure in November.
Transfers took place during Ronald Reagan’s and George W. Bush’s times in the White House under similar circumstances.
Then-President Donald Trump did not transfer power to his vice president, Mike Pence, when the former went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for COVID-19 treatment in October 2020, NBC News reported.
Based on the video, Biden certainly appears capable of performing the duties of the president as well as he ever has.
Why Jean-Pierre could not answer the transfer question is a bit of mystery.
Regardless, here’s hoping it never comes to that.
