President-elect Donald Trump returned to Washington on Wednesday for the first time since his recent election victory. He came to meet Republican members of Congress and President Joe Biden at the White House.
Trump landed at Joint Base Andrews in his private plane, “Trump Force One,” and celebrated his victory with Republican House members, who are likely to keep control of the House of Representatives as the election results continue to come in.
Trump shared his excitement, saying, “Isn’t it nice to win? It’s always nice to win,” and praised the Republican performance in the House.
Biden, who had originally run against Trump in 2024 before supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, welcomed Trump into the Oval Office, as is customary for outgoing presidents, though Trump did not extend this gesture to Biden when he won in 2020.
Biden’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, explained that Biden believes in the country’s norms and the peaceful transfer of power, which led him to invite Trump to the White House.
The two have been highly critical of each other for years, particularly on issues like climate change, Russia, and trade, with Biden seeing Trump as a threat to democracy and Trump calling Biden incompetent.
Their meeting was scheduled for 11 a.m. ET, and it comes as preparations for Trump’s inauguration on January 20 have already started, with construction underway for VIP seating during the parade.
Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, was expected to join Trump and other Republicans like Speaker Mike Johnson for the discussions.
However, despite Biden’s efforts to ensure a smooth transition, some parts of the handover are still delayed. Trump’s team has yet to finalize agreements needed for office space, government equipment, and access to key officials.
A spokesperson for the Trump transition team assured that talks are ongoing to meet legal requirements for the transition process.
In their meeting, Biden and Trump were expected to discuss various topics, including foreign policy. Biden may encourage Trump to continue supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia, a position that is now uncertain under Trump’s leadership. Trump has said he plans to end the war quickly but has not provided details on how.
This meeting marks the first time the two men will meet since their debate in June, which raised concerns about Biden’s age and led to his decision to step aside in favor of Harris.
The information comes from Reuters.