Updated November 13, 2024 at 14:19 PM ET
Former and future President Donald Trump met with Republicans in Congress and visited his old office today, the Oval Office, making his first trip to Washington since winning the presidential election.
President Biden invited his predecessor and successor for what is a ceremonial tradition meant to signal the desire for a smooth and peaceful transfer of power.
In a very brief photo-op at the beginning of a meeting that lasted almost two hours, the leaders shook hands and Biden congratulated Trump and said he looked forward to a smooth transition.
Trump said: "It will be as smooth as it can get and I very much appreciate that, Joe."
"Politics is tough and in many cases it's not a nice world, but it is a nice world today," Trump said.
Biden and Trump talked about Ukraine aid, the White House said
The leaders had "substantive" private discussions with White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, and Susie Wiles, who will have the job when Trump takes office in January, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
Biden said Trump was "gracious" and "came with a detailed set of questions," Jean-Pierre said, declining to go into details about what was on that list. The leaders discussed the government funding bill that Congress needs to pass by Dec. 21, and disaster aid funding after this fall's hurricanes, Jean-Pierre said.
"The length of the meeting tells you that they had an in-depth conversation on an array of issues," she said.
"This is not about President Biden or President-elect Trump. This is about the American people, and what's right for the American people," Jean-Pierre said.
Biden made the case to Trump that it's in the U.S. national security interest to continue to stand with Ukraine in its war with Russia, Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters. Trump and many of his aides have expressed skepticism about U.S. aid to Ukraine.
First lady Jill Biden was there to greet Trump on his arrival, the White House told reporters, giving him a handwritten letter for Melania Trump, who did not attend.
Trump first rallied House Republicans ahead of leadership elections
Trump started his day in Washington with a visit to a hotel ballroom where House Republicans were meeting to select their new slate of leaders. Trump was met with a standing ovation and lengthy cheers as he was joined on stage by Wiles and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk who has become a close adviser.
Republican House members leaving the morning conference were in high spirits, describing a celebratory atmosphere in the room where Trump thanked them for their support.
"He's on fire," said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. "The agenda he's putting forward is unbelievable."
Trump broadly laid out his vision for top priorities for his administration — including continuing to build a wall along the southern border.
"It was like, 'We're going to move fast, hang together, be a team' — kind of a rah-rah address, which is about what I expected," said Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole. "It's not the place to lay out a policy agenda, and he certainly didn't do that."
Instead, Trump focused on unifying a party that has been hampered by infighting and chaos for the past several years as they fought Biden and Democrats in divided government.
The mood has shifted dramatically as Republicans prepare for unified control in Washington. Several important House races are still outstanding but Republicans are on track to secure a narrow majority in that chamber after winning a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
Trump took part in this tradition in 2016, but skipped it in 2020
In 2020, Trump refused to accept the results of the election and did not invite Biden to the Oval Office.
But in 2016, then-President Barack Obama sat next to Trump in the Oval Office just two days after Trump beat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Sitting side by side, Trump called Obama a "very good man," said it was an honor to meet with him and expressed surprise that the conversation had lasted more than an hour.
The one piece of advice Obama gave Trump while reporters were in the room was, "Don't answer the questions when they just start yelling it."
That's something Trump immediately ignored when in office. He frequently held court as reporters shouted questions, responding to the ones he felt like answering and sometimes sparring with the journalists.
But on Wednesday, both Trump and Biden ignored reporters' questions.
The tradition is part of the transfer of power
Biden campaigned against Trump twice, winning in 2020 with an argument that Trump was an existential threat to U.S. democracy.
Then during the 2024 campaign, their one meeting on a debate stage in late June essentially ended Biden's bid for a second term. During the remaining months of the campaign Trump often gloated about his knock-out punch in the debate and bemoaned the "coup" that forced Biden out of the race.
But, the day after the election, Biden phoned Trump to congratulate him and invited him to the White House for a meeting.
Copyright 2024 NPR
