President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump appeared at the White House for a photo op, with Biden speaking first and calling for a smooth transition of power.
Mr. Trump thanked President Biden for a smooth transition. Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump did not answer questions from reporters.
According to NBC News, Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden then met privately for more than 90 minutes to discuss a range of domestic and foreign policy issues. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre revealed that Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden discussed the war in Gaza as well as the war in Ukraine.
Ms. Jean-Pierre said Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden also discussed government funding and emergency disaster assistance as well as how to ensure an “orderly” and “peaceful” transition of power.
According to the White House Press Secretary, Mr. Trump provided a detailed list of questions.
During the 2020 US presidential election, Mr. Trump did not have a similar meeting with Mr. Biden about the transfer of power.
Also according to NBC News, Mr. Trump was welcomed by First Lady Jill Biden, who gave him a handwritten congratulatory letter for Mrs. Melania Trump expressing her willingness to support the transition process.
It is unclear whether Vice President-elect JD Vance will join Trump on the November 13 trip to Washington. As of the evening of November 12, Vance had not heard from Vice President Kamala Harris about any contact since last week’s election.
Also on November 13, President-elect Donald Trump announced more senior personnel who will join his White House team: Dan Scavino as deputy chief of staff; Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff for homeland security and policy counsel; James Blair as deputy chief of staff for legislative, political, and public affairs; and Taylor Budowich as deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel.
