Transfer of power will be so smooth, Trump tells Biden at Oval Office
Returning to Washington, Trump meets with Biden in the Oval Office
President-elect Donald J. Trump met in the Oval Office with President Biden on Wednesday, a triumphant return to the seat of American power that he grudgingly left four years ago.
“Congratulations,” Biden told his predecessor and successor – a man who Biden has long said represents a clear danger to democracy itself. “I’m looking forward to having, like we said, a smooth transition.”
Trump and Biden were gracious to each other in brief remarks in front of a roaring fire as they observed a decades-old tradition that Trump did not extend to Biden while denying that he had lost in 2020.
Biden said he would make sure Mr. Trump had what he needed for a smooth transition after a brief handshake.
For his part, the president-elect made his own oblique reference to their differences.
“Thank you very much,” he said. “And 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 you can get. And I very much appreciate that, Joe.”
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