President Joe Biden sat next to President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office, where a fireplace crackled with flames. Biden smiled and offered his hand in welcome, hoping to ease tensions in American politics. However, the awkwardness of the moment was evident in the halting introductions. Not long ago, Biden had referred to Trump as a threat to democracy and national security, while Trump had called Biden “crooked” and “low I.Q.”
“Mr. President-elect, and the former President, and Donald, congratulations,” Biden said. “And, uh, looking forward to having a, like we said, smooth transition, do everything we can to make sure you are accommodated, what you need.” Trump replied: “Good.”
Trump’s return to the Oval Office, which he left four years earlier after failing to overturn Biden’s election victory, was marked by a thank you to Biden and a hint of the political battles they had just endured. “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 said.
The nearly two-hour meeting was part of Biden’s broader effort to repair the damage inflicted by Trump, who had denied the 2020 election results, instigated a violent attack on the Capitol, and refused to welcome his successor. Biden wanted to emphasize the benefits of maintaining many of his outgoing administration’s major infrastructure investments, such as removing lead pipes, installing new broadband cables, and transitioning the American economy away from fossil fuels.
However, Trump’s cabinet and White House appointments signaled his intention to dismantle as much of Biden’s signature agenda as possible. His team is known for its fierce defense of Trump and his policies. Lee Zeldin, Trump’s choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, promised to “restore US energy dominance.” His foreign policy team has expressed skepticism about America’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, a cause that Biden has championed for nearly three years.
Before arriving at the White House on Wednesday, Trump addressed House Republicans at a hotel near the Capitol and hinted at his desire to be eligible for a third term. “I suspect I won’t be running again unless you do something,” Trump told the GOP lawmakers in the ballroom.
Trump and Biden were joined in their meeting by White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and Susie Wiles, who is set to assume that role for Trump after serving as his campaign manager. Trump’s entourage also included his personal aide Natalie Harp and his valet Walt Nauta. Nauta has pleaded not guilty to charges of concealing or withholding classified documents and obstruction of justice in connection with the investigation into Trump’s possession of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Charges against Trump in that case are likely to be dropped as Special Counsel Jack Smith decides how to conclude the federal cases against Trump before his presidency.
