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    • Trump meets with Biden, Republican lawmakers in Washington
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    Trump meets with Biden, Republican lawmakers in Washington

    Pabio Posted on

    By WILL WEISSERT, LISA MASCARO and ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press

    WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Donald Trump made a victorious return to Washington on Wednesday, heading to the White House for a nearly two-hour meeting with President Joe Biden and pledging to a direct transition of power despite actively working to disrupt the same process four years ago.

    Sitting in the Oval Office, in front of a strong fire in the fireplace, the former rivals shook hands before Biden called Trump “Mr. Trump.” President-elect and former president,” then simply chose “Donald.”

    “Congratulations,” the Democrat told the Republican. “I look forward to having, as they said, a smooth transition.” To welcome. Good to see you again.”

    Trump responded, “Thank you very much,” saying “politics is hard. And in many cases, it’s not a very pleasant world. But the world is beautiful today and I appreciate it very much.

    Except for the first few moments, the meeting was private, with Biden and Trump joined by their chiefs of staff. Trump said the transition between the outgoing and incoming administrations “will be as smooth as possible and I really appreciate that, Joe.”

    President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
    President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

    Trump, victorious this time, says he is ready to guarantee a smooth transition between administrations. But when he lost four years ago, it was a different story: Trump filed numerous lawsuits. falsely claiming widespread election fraudrefused to actively participate in transition work, denied the election results, and helped incite a mob that attacked the US Capitoltrying to prevent the certification of Biden’s victory.

    He also did not invite Biden to the White Houseand he refused to attend the inauguration — the first time since Andrew Johnson avoided Ulysses S. Grant’s swearing-in 155 years ago.

    The all-smiling new scene at the White House — despite what happened four years ago — highlighted the remarkable political rebound of Trump, who left Washington in 2021 as a diminished and politically defeated leader. Today, he is preparing to return to power as the Republicans have taken back the Senate, on the verge of winning a majority in the House and with what he and his GOP allies see as a governance mandate.

    Neither the president-elect nor Biden responded to questions shouted by reporters after their brief remarks. At one point, Biden looked at Trump, who moved his head to the side and shrugged slightly, but did not respond.

    Trump later told the New York Post that he and Biden discussed two issues on which they sharply differ, the war in Ukraine and the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

    “I asked for his opinion and he gave it to me,” Trump told the newspaper. “We also talked a lot about the Middle East. I wanted to get his perspective on where we are and what he thinks. And he gave them to me, he was very kind.

    It’s unclear how long the president-elect’s soft-spoken attitude toward Biden, who will be both his successor and predecessor in the White House, will last. After his victory in the 2016 election, Trump met with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office and called it a “great honor.” But he quickly began insulting Obama again.

    Trump looked comfortable in the Oval Office on Wednesday, unlike eight years ago, when he seemed nervous and reserved during his meeting with Obama. The president-elect left the White House after his session with Biden without addressing the large contingent of reporters in the aisle, waiting in case he made an appearance.

    First lady Jill Biden greeted Trump upon his arrival and gave him a handwritten letter of congratulations for his wife, Melania, who did not make the trip to Washington. The letter also expressed the first lady’s team’s willingness to help with the transition.

    While meeting with Biden, Trump sent a fundraising email to his supporters saying he is “currently at the White House leading a very important meeting.”

    Trump flew from Florida in the morning to join the billionaire Elon Musk during a morning session with House Republicans, telling them, “It’s good to win.”

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    President-elect Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

    Develop

    He received a standing ovation from Republican lawmakers, many of whom took cellphone videos of Trump as he ran through their party’s victories up and down the ballot.

    “I suspect I won’t run again unless you say he’s good, we have to find something else,” Trump said to laughter from lawmakers. The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution prevents presidents from running for a third term.

    House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said of Trump’s arrival: “He’s the comeback king.” »

    “We owe him a great debt of gratitude,” Johnson said.

    Trump’s re-emergence comes amid the Republican congressional leadership elections. He endorsed Johnson’s return to the president’s office, with the president-elect saying he was with Johnson all the way, according to a person familiar with the remarks but not authorized to publicly discuss the private meeting.

    Musk joined Trump on the trip to Washington after the Tesla and SpaceX CEO spent much of his time at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida property, and participated in discussions as the new Trump administration prepares to leave Biden’s. Trump named Musk to an advisory role on government efficiency in his new administration. Some close to the president-elect and his team now view Musk as the second most influential figure in Trump’s immediate orbit, after Susie Wiles, the campaign manager who is Trump’s new chief of staff.

    Biden insists he will do everything in his power to make the transition to the next Trump administration go smoothly. And this, even after spending more than a year campaigning for re-election and decrying Trump as a threat to democracy and the fundamental values ​​of the nation. Biden then withdrew from the race in July and was named vice president Kamala Harris to succeed him.

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