Trump And Biden Share Laugh At The Press During Historic White House Meeting
President Joe Biden appeared in good health and good spirits Wednesday morning, sitting with President-elect Donald Trump as the two recalled their tumultuous relationship over the years and promised a peaceful transition of power in January.
A screaming cacophony of reporters could be heard over the shutters of cameras capturing the Oval Office sit-down. Both men smiled while President Trump whispered some thoughts to Biden, who smiled back. Press aides could be heard doing their best to interrupt the mayhem and shuffle reporters out the door. “Let’s go guys! Keep moving,” shouted one woman who briefly appeared on camera.
Before chaos broke out, the two men shook hands and put their animus behind them. “To the president-elect, congratulations,” Biden stated, “and looking forward, like we said, to a smooth transition. Doing everything to make sure you’re accommodated, [have] what you need, and we’ll get a chance to talk about some of that today.” “Good,” President Trump replied, nodding. “Thank you very much. Politics is tough, and it’s in many cases not a 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 appreciate that Joe.”
The two men have moved from visceral enemies to the bonhomie of bipartisan friendship, a long and tortuous arc that survived a bitter debate and attempted assassination. Biden, who dropped out in late July, was absent from the campaign trail for the past months as Vice President Kamala Harris did her best to take his place on the ticket. At 81, the president and First Lady Jill Biden feel that Harris and top Democrats pushed him aside to their own detriment.
For his part, Trump has previously admitted that he gets along great with President Biden now that the two are not political foes. He “didn’t like Biden very much but now I like him quite a bit,” Trump told attendees at last month’s Al Smith dinner, eliciting a roar of laughter from the Catholic audience.
Trump took part in his Washington, D.C. trip on Wednesday to meet with House Republicans and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) where he congratulated members on securing a majority and promised a renewed sense of purpose for the GOP. “Isn’t it nice to win?” he asked lawmakers. Johnson said on Tuesday that the House GOP stands “ready to deliver” on Trump’s second-term agenda. Later in the day, Senate Republicans will select their majority leader for the next Congress, and observers expect a bruising fight between Sens. John Thune (R-SD), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Rick Scott (R-FL), the latter of whom is running with the blessing of Trump acolytes like Elon Musk.
