President-elect Donald Trump was in Washington D.C. on Wednesday where he visited the White House to discuss the transfer of power with U.S. President Joe Biden.
Biden, 81, welcomed his long-time rival to the Oval Office and congratulated him on his election win, adding that he expects the transfer of power to be “peaceful”.
“Congratulations. Looking forward to a smooth transition… Welcome back,” said Biden.
The visit to Washington D.C. was Trump’s first since winning the 2024 election. He will officially take office on Jan. 20, 2025 stepping in as the 47th president of the United States. This will be his second presidency.
“Politics is tough and it’s in many cases not a nice world, but it is a nice world today. I appreciate it very much,” Trump said during his meeting with Biden.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump named billionaire Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy as his choice to head the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), a new agency to be set up once he takes office.
On Wednesday, Trump also held a meeting with House Republicans. “He is the comeback king,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., before Trump’s arrival. “We owe him a great debt of gratitude.”
The White House was heavily guarded for Trump’s visit. The two US politicians did not answer press questions.
In 2016, Trump was welcomed to the White House for the traditional handover of power meeting by President Barack Obama. Four years later, however, Trump did not invite election winner Biden to the Oval Office and did not attend Biden’s inauguration.
