US President Joe Biden on Wednesday extended his support for a "smooth transition" and congratulated his predecessor, Donald Trump.
"The President-elect expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasized working to bring the country together, said the White House in a brief statement issued on Wednesday.
Steven Cheung, president Trump's spokesperson, confirms the call and added on that "The President very much appreciated the call; he looks forward to meeting shortly.".
This was in marked contrast to what happened when Trump lost the election in 2020: Trump did not pay any courtesy visit of this sort to Biden, nor did he attend the latter's inauguration. He had viciously attacked Biden during the campaign-often referring to him as "Sleepy Joe" and really calling him a "weak and pathetic man."
Retaliating, Biden had viciously attacked Trump, calling him a "convicted felon," a "loser," and a "sucker." Now, though Democratic Party leaders goaded Trump into pulling out of the presidential race, he claims sympathy for Biden, describing the president as the victim of a "coup."
Nikki Haley, who had once served in his cabinet and later ran against him for the Republican nomination, was also quoted saying that "Trump's return to power is an extraordinary feat. Throughout the campaign, he let the American people know exactly where he stood and they gave him a second term".
She then said, "Now, it's time for the American people to come together, pray for our country, and start the process of a peaceful transition."
Even many business leaders congratulated Trump and expressed hope for future co-op. Google chief executive Sundar Pichai tweeted, "We're looking forward to engaging with you and your administration to drive innovation forward that creates new growth and opportunity for the United States and the world."
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said, "We are in a golden age of American innovation and are committed to working with his administration to help bring the benefits to everyone."
Apple CEO Tim Cook posted, "We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity."
Founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, also wished Trump well: "No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love."
The owner of The Washington Post, Bezos, who had famously declared that his newspaper would not endorse any candidate in the presidential race, had editorially backed Harris.
He was among the first to congratulate Trump after billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, who had backed Vice President Kamala Harris and criticized Trump: "Congrats @realDonaldTrump. You won fair and square."
He also threw in a congratulatory message to Elon Musk, CEO of X, Tesla, and SpaceX, who had campaigned for Trump: "Congrats to @elonmusk as well."
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