Trump-Biden transition meeting

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President-elect Donald Trump returned to Washington on Wednesday — entering the White House for the first time since he was voted out of office — to meet with President Joe Biden for a ceremony meant to signal the peaceful transfer of power.

The two men appeared briefly for photos, with Biden speaking first and calling for a smooth transition.

Trump responded that politics "is tough" but thanked the president for a smooth transition. “You’re welcome,” Biden responded. They did not respond to shouted questions from reporters.

Trump and Biden next met privately for a “substantive” sit-down that lasted more than 90 minutes and saw the president and his successor dive into a range of pressing foreign and domestic policy issues. According to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Trump and Biden discussed the war in Gaza and the hostages taken captive by Hamas militants during the Oct. 7 attack, and the war in Ukraine. Trump, on the campaign trail, promised to bring to end the war if re-elected.

Trump and Biden also discussed government funding and emergency disaster assistance and how to ensure an “orderly” and “peaceful” transfer of power, Jean-Pierre said.

She told reporters that Trump came with a list of detailed questions.

Trump did not offer Biden the same meeting in 2020, as he refused to concede the election results and worked to delay Biden’s taking office. Vice President Kamala Harris conceded defeat last Wednesday before a crowd of supporters in Washington.

Trump was also greeted by first lady Jill Biden, who gave him a handwritten letter of congratulations for Melania Trump, which also expressed her team’s readiness to assist with the transition, according to her office.