Trump, Biden vow smooth transition in post-election Oval Office meeting

President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump pledged Wednesday to work together and ensure a smooth handoff between administrations in their first face-to-face meeting since the election.

The two met in the Oval Office as Mr. Biden welcomed his predecessor and successor back to the White House. 

“Congratulations, and I look forward to having a smooth transition,” Mr. Biden said as he shook the hand of his political rival, whom for years he labeled an existential threat to democracy. 

Mr. Biden added that he will “make sure” Mr. Trump is accommodated as he retakes the White House on Jan. 20.

In turn, Mr. Trump said the transition will be “as smooth as it can get and I very much appreciate that, Joe.”

“Politics is tough, and in many cases it’s not a nice world, but it is a nice world today,” Mr. Trump said. During the campaign, he openly questioned Mr. Biden’s cognitive abilities and accused him of destroying the country.

Joining the meeting were Mr. Biden’s chief of staff, Jeff Zients, and incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

First lady Jill Biden was among those who greeted Mr. Trump at the White House. She passed along a handwritten letter of congratulations to incoming first lady Melania Trump, who skipped the meeting. Mrs. Biden expressed her willingness to assist Mrs. Trump’s team with the transition. 

While Mr. Biden has pledged unity and bipartisanship in the wake of Vice President Kamala Harris’ election loss, underneath the cordial talk is a dour mood at the White House.

Mr. Biden has said the reason he ran for president in the first place was because of what he called the danger of Mr. Trump’s MAGA Republicans. 

At the meeting, Mr. Biden honored the president-elect in the ways that Mr. Trump eschewed after the 2020 election. Mr. Trump refused to acknowledge what he called a rigged election and skipped Mr. Biden’s Inauguration ceremony. 

Mr. Trump didn’t even schedule a meeting to discuss the transition.

Still, Mr. Biden and his staffers have said he intends to attend Mr. Trump’s Inauguration on Jan. 20.

“We accept the choice the country made,” Mr. Biden said last week in the Rose Garden. “I’ve said many times, you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbor only when you agree.”

The White House staff has pushed the Trump team to sign the required federal agreements necessary to start the transition of presidential power. Mr. Zients has reached out to Trump transition co-chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon to reiterate the important role of the pacts.