Friday, November 15, 2024 - US President Joe Biden welcomed President-elect Donald Trump back to the White House Wednesday, November 13, for a nearly two-hour meeting as part of the transition process following his election victory.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the
meeting "substantive," and said the two men discussed national
security and domestic policy issues, and Mr. Biden raised important items on
Congress' to-do list. At the top of the meeting, with reporters present for
only a moment, the two men shook hands.
"Well Mr. President-elect and former president, Donald,
congratulations, and looking forward to having, like we said, a smooth
transition," Mr. Biden said, speaking first. Mr. Biden told Trump that his
administration will accommodate the president-elect's needs. "Welcome,
welcome back."
"Thank you very much, and politics is tough, and it's,
many cases, not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today, and I
appreciate very much a transition that's so smooth, it'll be as smooth as it
can get," Trump responded.
Mr. Biden responded, "you're welcome."
Mr Trump added: "Politics is tough, and it's many cases not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today, and I appreciate very much a transition that's so smooth it'll be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that, Joe."
The last time Mr Trump and Mr Biden met in person was for
the presidential debate on 27 June, when the Democrat's gaffes cost him
his candidacy.
The meeting began shortly after 11 a.m. ET, after Trump
spoke to House Republicans. White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and incoming
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles are also in the meeting, the White House
said.
The meeting follows the longstanding tradition of outgoing
presidents meeting their successors to discuss a smooth transition from one
administration to the other.
However, Republican Mr Trump failed to give the same
opportunity to Mr Biden in 2020 as he refused to accept his defeat against his
Democratic rival.
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