President-elect Donald Trump arrived at the White House on Wednesday, where he met President Joe Biden in a traditional rites of passage marking the peaceful transfer of power that was not accorded him four years ago by the former.
"Welcome, welcome back," Biden said to Trump at the start of their meeting.
"Politics is tough," Trump answered. "And in 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. And I very much appreciate that."
More detail of their conversation awaits.
A civilized transfer of power begins with the handing over of the outgoing sitting President to his incoming successor. This is done by inaugurating the new President on 21 January, and the symbolic swearing-in on the steps of Capitol marks that event.
Trump had denied Biden the same meeting in 2020, as he had refused to accept the verdict that he lost. And, in fact, in January, a crowd of his supporters had raided the Capitol to prevent a joint sitting of congress from certifying Biden's victory. He had also refused to attend Biden's inauguration and had left the very morning for his resort home in Palm Beach, Florida.
Biden, speaking before the meeting, also told Trump his administration would "do everything we can to make sure (of) accommodating what you need."
A transition between administrations is a gargantuan effort involving more than 4,000 vacancies in the federal government that the outgoing administration leaves behind for the incoming President, and campaigns generally have a long and detailed transition plan prepared well before election day.
Trump has begun filling the upper echelons and has announced a string of cabinet nominees over the past few days-Pete Hegseth to serve as secretary of defense, Kristi Noem as secretary of homeland security-and other senior White House staff, including Susie Wiles as chief of staff and Mike Waltz as national security advisor.
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