President-elect Donald Trump made his victorious return to Washington on Wednesday to meet with jubilant House Republicans and confer with President Biden in the Oval Office, where they mutually pledged a smooth transfer of power after a bitter election in which they repeatedly disparaged each other.
The White House meeting capped Mr. Trump’s triumphant comeback in the city he had left begrudgingly as an outcast four years ago after refusing to concede and disputing without evidence the 2020 election results.
One week after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris decisively in the election, Mr. Biden cordially welcomed Mr. Trump to the White House. The president had condemned Mr. Trump during the campaign as an authoritarian and existential threat to democracy.
“I look forward … to having a smooth transition. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated what you need,” a smiling Mr. Biden said as he congratulated a man who had relentlessly attacked his mental capacity and branded his administration as a “disaster.”
Mr. Trump also pledged that the transition will be “as smooth as it can get.”
“Politics is tough, and in many cases, it’s not a nice world, but it’s a nice world today,” Mr. Trump said. They shook hands in front of a roaring fire in the Oval Office.
SEE ALSO: Trump ‘superfans’ gather at White House ahead of president-elect’s return
Mr. Biden smiled and generally appeared welcoming to the man he repeatedly said was his primary motivation for seeking the White House in 2020 and then running for reelection in 2024. Mr. Biden abandoned his bid for a second term after his disastrous June debate performance against Mr. Trump in which the president stared vacantly and struggled to finish his thoughts.
By meeting with Mr. Trump, the president honored the president-elect in a way that Mr. Trump eschewed after the 2020 election. Mr. Trump refused to acknowledge what he called a rigged election, encouraged supporters who later violently interrupted the congressional certification of the election on Jan. 6, 2021, and skipped Mr. Biden’s inauguration ceremony.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described the meeting as “very substantive” and said the two presidents were cordial with each other. She said Mr. Trump came with a detailed set of questions, but she offered no more information.
Ms. Jean-Pierre said the president raised “important items on Congress’s to-do list” for the lame-duck session, including funding the government and providing the disaster supplemental funding Mr. Biden requested.
“Finally, the president reiterated what he said to the president-elect the day after the election and the American people in the Rose Garden just last week: We will have an orderly transition and peaceful transition of power,” she said.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Mr. Biden underscored that supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia is in America’s national security interest because “a strong Europe, a stable Europe … is vital to ensuring that we don’t end up getting dragged directly into a war.”
SEE ALSO: Former first lady Melania Trump avoids White House meeting
Incoming first lady Melania Trump didn’t attend the meeting. First lady Jill Biden gave the president-elect a handwritten letter of congratulations for her and reiterated her readiness to help with the transition.
Before meeting with Mr. Biden, the president-elect gathered with House Republicans at a hotel near Capitol Hill.
During the meeting, Mr. Trump threw his support behind House Speaker Mike Johnson, likely killing any last-minute rebellion against him. This set up a smoother pathway in Mr. Johnson’s bid for his first full term as speaker.
“He’s a good guy,” Mr. Trump said. “I’m with him all the way.”
House Republican rebels were mulling a last-minute challenge to Mr. Johnson’s bid for a full term as speaker in the new Congress.
They sent a loud message that the party’s right flank wants to exert its power when Republicans control the House, Senate and White House.
Rep. Andrew Ogles of Tennessee, a member of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus that was eyeing a challenge to Mr. Johnson, said he planned to back Mr. Johnson because of Mr. Trump’s support.
“Everybody has a right to their own opinion, but, you know, I’m going to follow the lead of the president,” he told The Washington Times.
At the White House, a group of self-described “super fans” gathered just before Mr. Trump’s arrival to underscore that the meeting was a victory lap. Roughly a dozen people stood in front of the White House security perimeter holding signs reading “Make America Great Again” and “Dream Big Again.” They said they wanted to let Mr. Trump know he has supporters in Washington.
Daniel Treacy of Arlington said he was standing outside because he hoped Mr. Trump would spot him and understand that even if he didn’t win Washington and its suburbs, some people in the capital region have his back.
“I’m wearing my MAGA hat, and I don’t have that opportunity living in Arlington,” Mr. Treacy said. “I want to send a message that he’s got support in this blue area.”
• Mallory Wilson contributed to this report.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.