The White House has announced that US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
This meeting, held after the election, is part of a long-standing tradition in which the outgoing president and the president-elect come together to discuss the transition of power, key issues, and plans for the upcoming administration. The discussion serves as a symbolic step in ensuring a smooth handover and marks the beginning of the formal transition process as Trump prepares to assume office.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced in a statement that President Biden and President-elect Trump will meet in the Oval Office at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, reported NBC News.
Trump accepted the invitation, according to his campaign, stating that he was "looking forward to it" and appreciated the congratulatory call.
However, after losing the 2020 election, Trump, a Republican, did not invite Biden, a Democrat, to the White House for the traditional postelection meeting.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the day after the election, President Biden called Donald Trump to congratulate him on his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.
In addition to the traditional meeting between outgoing and incoming presidents, it has also been customary for the current first lady to welcome the incoming first lady to the White House. For example, in 2016, then-First Lady Michelle Obama hosted Melania Trump for tea in the White House's Yellow Oval Room and gave her a tour of the private residence. This tradition, intended to foster a smooth transition between administrations, was not observed in 2020.
An East Wing official told CNN that incoming First Lady Melania Trump has also been invited to the White House to meet with First Lady Jill Biden. However, the timing of this meeting has not yet been confirmed.
Meanwhile, Trump's transition team is being headed by Linda McMahon, who previously served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration, and businessman Howard Lutnick. In contrast to previous election cycles, however, the Trump team did not sign the usual pre-election documents to access funding and other resources for the transition process.
