It was a week to remember in Washington, from the historic visit of Pope Francis to House Speaker John Boehner's surprise announcement Friday that he was resigning from Congress — which makes it feel like eons ago that Scott Walker dropped out of the 2016 race.

Mixed reaction to Boehner news from GOP 2016ers

The reaction to John Boehner's impending departure as House speaker ran the gamut within the 2016 Republican presidential field. There were words of praise from more establishment-friendly candidates like Jeb Bush, who tweeted that Boehner "dedicated his life to public service," and John Kasich, who said Boehner "leaves a legacy of unparalleled integrity."

But the kind words were hardly universal, particularly at the Values Voter Summit where several GOP candidates were courting evangelicals when the Boehner news broke. In his speech, Marco Rubio said he wasn't there "to bash anyone," while adding, though, that "the time has come to turn the page."

Rick Santorum suggested "it's probably time" for Boehner to have resigned.

Perhaps harshest of all, though, was Ted Cruz, who pointed out that Boehner resigned as soon as the assembled group of conservative activists arrived. "My only request is, can you come more often?" he joked to the crowd. He later suggested to reporters that perhaps Boehner may have "cut a deal with Nancy Pelosi" to fund Obama administration priorities before taking "a cushy K Street job."

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio pauses during his news conference on Capitol Hill on Sept. 25, 2015. (Steve Helber, AP)

Biden ally says Jill Biden's support of a 2016 bid 'a big deal'

If Jill Biden has given her blessing to her husband, Vice President Biden, running for president again, as NBC News has reported, that is likely a "big deal" as he closes in on a decision, according to Rep. John Carney, D-Del.

Carney recently spoke to the vice president and was a Biden staffer in the 1980s when the vice president was a Delaware senator.

"As he said time and time again, it's not just him who has to be all in, it's his family," Carney said.

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, arrive at the airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, on July 5, 2015. (Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press via AP)

GOP candidates seek out Walker donors

It didn't take long for GOP candidates to attempt to capitalize on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's departure from the race. Walker made the surprise announcement on Monday that he was ending his White House bid. Some of his most passionate donors didn't seem quite ready to commit right away to another candidate.

Chart Westcott, a biotech investor from Dallas who was a major donor to a pro-Walker super PAC, said "it just started raining phone calls" after Walker dropped out, but that right now he's taking a "breather" before committing.

Rockford, Ill., businessman Dan Arnold, another donor, said, "As an evangelical, Walker stole my heart."

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks at a news conference Sept. 21, 2015 in Madison, Wis. (Andy Manis, Getty Images)

General election debate schedule set

Sure, there are still 20 candidates in the field and the Democrats haven't even held a primary debate yet, but the Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Wednesday the dates and locations for three 2016 fall presidential debates and one vice presidential.

The first presidential debate will be held Sept. 26 at Wright State University in Dayton. Mark your calendars.

Only two chairs? It’s going to look so … empty. (Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images)

Trump digs Christmas, disses Fox News, Rubio

Did you really think we could recap the week in politics without a Trump mention?

Following the latest flare-up between Fox News and Donald Trump, the network's chairman and CEO, Roger Ailes, and the Republican presidential front-runner will meet next week"to discuss their differences of opinion regarding Fox's coverage," of his campaign, a Fox News spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. The meeting will also include other senior executives from the network.

Also in Trump’s cross hairs this week? Fellow GOP candidate Marco Rubio. On Wednesday, Trump took aim at the Florida senator during a South Carolina campaign swing, calling him a "lightweight" and "overly ambitious, too young." He also mocked Rubio's sweating habits and doubled down on that attack line during an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe Thursday:

"He sweats more than any young person I've ever seen in my life. …  I've never seen a person sweat — I've never seen a guy down water like he downs water.  I've never seen — they bring it in in buckets for this guy."

And he called him a “clown” in a speech to evangelical activists Friday.

Rubio weighed in on Trump in an interview with Kentucky Sports Radio Thursday:

"He takes shots at everybody that gets anywhere close to him in terms of a poll."

But the Florida senator wasn’t the only thing on Trump’s mind as the week ended.

In that Friday speech to the conservative Values Voter Summit, Trump sought to assure attendees that he’s a faithful Christian who will fight for religious freedom. He said progressives are fighting to eliminate Christmas and stores these days are erecting "Happy Holiday" displays rather than Christmas ones.

"I tell my wife, don't go to those stores," he said at the Values Voter Summit. "I want to see Christmas. You're going to see it if I get elected."

Donald Trump speaks during the Values Voter Summit on Sept. 25, 2015, in Washington.
(Jose Luis Magana, AP)

Contributing: Katie Smith, Nicole Gaudiano, Fredreka Schouten and Donovan Slack