Biden, 81, portrayed Trump as a threat to democracy, while Trump, 78, described Biden as incompetent. Trump made false claims of widespread fraud after losing the 2020 election to Biden.
Trump celebrated his victory earlier in the day with Republicans in the House of Representatives, who have a good chance of retaining control of the chamber as results from the Nov. 5 election come in.
“Isn’t it nice to win?” It’s nice to win. It’s always nice to win,” Mr. Trump said. “The House behaved very well. »
Biden, who initially ran against Trump in the 2024 election before withdrawing and supporting Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, will welcome the former and future president to the Oval Office, a traditional courtesy of outgoing presidents that Trump, a Republican, did not grant when Biden won in 2020.
“He believes in norms, he believes in our institution, he believes in the peaceful transfer of power,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said of Biden’s decision to invite Trump. She spoke at a press briefing on Tuesday.
Outside the gates of the White House, signs of the impending transfer of power were evident with construction already underway of stands where VIP guests will be able to sit during the parade that will take place after Trump’s inauguration.
TRANSITION PARTIALLY TO THE BLOCK
Although Biden intended to use this meeting to show continuity, the transition itself is partially stalled.
Trump’s team, which has already announced some members of the new president’s Cabinet, has yet to sign deals that would lead to office space and government equipment as well as access to officials, facilities and government information, according to the White House.
“Trump-Vance transition attorneys continue to engage constructively with Biden-Harris administration attorneys regarding all agreements contemplated by the Presidential Transition Act,” said Brian Vance, transition spokesperson. Trump, referring to the law that governs the transfer of power.
Valerie Smith Boyd, director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit that advises incoming administrations, said the agreement underscores that the United States has only one president both and includes commitments to sign ethics pacts not to take advantage of the information provided during the transition.
“This document needs to be signed so that interactions with federal agencies can begin,” she said. “It all depends on that. »
Besides meetings with federal agencies, Biden and Trump will likely discuss myriad topics, including foreign policy.
The outgoing president could urge Trump to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. US support for kyiv is in question after Trump’s victory over Harris last week, and Trump has pledged to end the war quickly without explaining how.
Jean-Pierre refused to detail the points of discussion between the two men before their meeting.
This meeting will be the first since the debate between the two men in June. Biden’s poor performance then increased concerns about his age among fellow Democrats and led to his withdrawal from the race. Harris became the Democratic nominee instead, running a truncated campaign that ended in her defeat.
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