President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump met in the Oval Office on Wednesday, resuming a tradition that Trump himself flouted in 2020.
The two men, seated by a roaring fire, shook hands before reporters and news cameras.
Biden spoke first, calling for a “smooth transition” and telling Trump he will do “everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated.”
Trump followed by thanking Biden.
“Politics is tough, and it’s, in many cases, not a very nice world but it is a nice world today,” Trump said. “And I appreciate it very much. A transition that’s so smooth, it’ll be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that, Joe.”
They did not answer questions.
The meeting appears to have lasted a little less than two hours before Trump departed.
First lady Jill Biden joined President Biden in greeting Trump upon his arrival, according to the White House. She gave Trump a handwritten letter of congratulations for Melania Trump, which also expressed her team’s readiness to assist with the transition.
The first lady’s office confirmed that a joint invitation was extended to the Trumps to meet at the White House. But Melania Trump did not travel to Washington with her husband on Wednesday.
“Her husband’s return to the Oval Office to commence the transition process is encouraging, and she wishes him great success,” Melania Trump’s office said in a statement.
