President Joe Biden welcomed former President Donald Trump to the White House on Wednesday for a traditional Oval Office meeting to mark the peaceful transfer of power. This ritual of transition is one Trump himself declined four years ago, following his loss to Biden in the 2020 election.
Biden greeted Trump warmly, saying, “Donald, congratulations,” and extended a handshake, expressing his hope for “a smooth transition.” Trump replied, “Thank you very much. Politics is tough. And it’s, in many cases, not a very nice world. But it is a nice world today, and I appreciate it very much.”
Trump arrived in Washington alongside billionaire Elon Musk, meeting with House Republicans before his Oval Office session with Biden. Addressing GOP lawmakers, Trump remarked, “It’s nice to win.” His return to the nation’s capital, after nearly four years, marks a stark contrast to his departure following the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, as he now looks to govern with a Republican majority in Congress.
The symbolic White House meeting took place despite Trump’s prior decision to skip similar ceremonies when he left office in 2021. After his 2020 loss, Trump had refused to meet with then President-elect Biden, disputed the election results, and left Washington without attending Biden’s inauguration—the first president to do so since Andrew Johnson 155 years ago.
Although Biden previously expressed concerns about Trump’s impact on democracy, he has pledged to facilitate an orderly transition. In a recent speech, Biden assured, “The American experiment endures. We’re going to be okay.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reaffirmed Biden’s commitment to ensuring a smooth transition, describing it as both a norm and “the right thing to do for the American people.” She added, “We want this to go well. We want this to be a process that gets the job done.”
