Biden-Trump meeting live updates: Latest news from the White House transition talks
WASHINGTON ? He’s not moving in just yet, but President-elect Donald Trump returned briefly to the White House on Wednesday.
Trump met for nearly two hours with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office just one week after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris to win a second term as president. The meeting between the outgoing president and his successor was an awkward post-election ritual that took place despite the personal animosity between the two men.
Biden has spent months calling Trump a threat to democracy. Trump has repeatedly called Biden the worst president ever.
But with the election behind them, Biden phoned Trump last week to congratulate him on his win and invite him to Washington – a courtesy that Trump refused to extend to him after Biden defeated him in 2020.
Complicating matters further, Biden had wanted another four years as president but changed his mind after his most recent face-to-face meeting with Trump – on a debate stage in Atlanta in June. The debate went so poorly for Biden that he abandoned his reelection campaign a month later, and Harris stepped in as the Democratic nominee.
Trump also met with lawmakers on Wednesday as they held elections for some of Congress' pivotal leadership roles.
Keep up with live updates from the USA TODAY Network.
White House: Biden reinforced need to stand with Ukraine
President Joe Biden stressed to President-elect Donald Trump the importance of continuing to stand with Ukraine in its war with Russia, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
During their nearly two-hour meeting, Biden reinforced his belief that a strong and stable Europe is in the U.S.'s interest and will keep the U.S. from getting dragged directly into a future war, Sullivan said.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described the meeting between Biden and Trump as “substantive” and said they exchanged views on national security and domestic policy issues facing the nation and the world. Trump came with a detailed set of questions, she said.
Biden also raised important items on Congress's to do-list for the lame-duck session, including funding the government and providing the funding that he has requested for disaster relief, Jean-Pierre said. Biden also reiterated his intention to make sure there is an orderly and peaceful transfer of power, she said.
?Michael Collins
Trump, Biden meet for nearly two hours
President-elect Donald Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden met at the White House for nearly two hours Wednesday, signifying a peaceful transfer of power four years after Trump left in protest following his loss to Biden in the 2020 election.
The two men began their Oval Office meeting at 11:07 a.m. ET and ended around 1 p.m. ET.
Trump exited the White House from the South Lawn by motorcade without addressing hundreds of reporters who were waiting outside the West Wing on the opposite side of the building.
Trump was joined by his incoming White House chief of staff, 2024 campaign manager Susie Wiles, while Biden was accompanied by Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, according to the White House.
At least one other Trump aide also appeared to be on hand. Stephen Miller, a top Trump immigration adviser and incoming deputy chief of staff for policy, posted a photo of the White House Rose Garden as the meeting took place.
?Joey Garrison
Donald Trump upon return to White House: 'It's a nice world today.'
President Joe Biden congratulated President-elect Donald Trump as the two began a highly anticipated meeting at the White House one week after Trump’s election victory.
“Well, Mr. President-elect and former president, Donald,” Biden said as he shook Trump’s hand. “Congratulations, and I’m looking forward to having, like we said, a smooth transition, doing everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated, get what you need.”
Biden said they will have a chance to discuss some of these matters in their meeting.
“Welcome,” Biden said.
Trump thanked Biden for a smooth transition. It’s the president-elect’s first trip to the White House since his first term ended in January 2021.
“Politics is tough, and it’s in many cases not a nice world, but it is a nice world today, and I appreciate it very much,” Trump said. “A transition that’s so smooth, it will be as smooth as it can get. And I very much appreciate that, Joe.”
Reporters were escorted out of the Oval Office after less than one minute as Biden and Trump began their meeting.
?Joey Garrison
Jeff Zients, Susie Wiles attend Oval Office meeting
President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have some company in their Oval Office meeting.
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and Susie Wiles, who Trump has tapped to be his chief of staff, are attending the meeting, the White House said.
– Michael Collins
Jill Biden gives Donald Trump congratulatory letter for Melania Trump
First lady Jill Biden gave President-elect Donald Trump a handwritten letter to deliver to Melania Trump as the former president returned to the White House for the first time since leaving four years ago.
The White House said Jill Biden’s letter congratulated Melania Trump and expressed her team’s readiness to assist with the transition.
Melania Trump, the incoming first lady, did not join her husband for his post-election visit to the White House, as is customary. Her office did not provide a reason for her absence but said she wishes Trump “great success.”
?Joey Garrison
Donald Trump's meeting with Joe Biden begins
The meeting between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is underway.
The meeting began in the Oval Office at 11:07 a.m., according to the White House.
?Michael Collins
Trump appoints four campaign aides to serve as White House deputies
President-elect Donald Trump is filling out his White House leadership team, announcing deputy chief of staff roles Wednesday for top campaign aides Stephen Miller, James Blair, Dan Scavino and Taylor Budowich.
Described as “one of President Trump’s longest serving and most trusted aides,” Scavino will have the title of deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Miller will be deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security adviser, while Blair will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs. Budowich will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel.
Miller and Scavino served in Trump’s first administration. Miller has been one of the chief architects for Trump’s immigration policies. Trump earlier appointed campaign chief Susie Wiles as his chief of staff in the next administration.
?Zac Anderson
Melania Trump won't visit White House with Donald Trump
Melania Trump is skipping the tea.
A day after it became clear that Donald Trump would return as president after his decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden invited the president-elect and his wife to the White House.
Donald Trump accepted the invitation the same day, saying through his spokesperson that he "looked forward to the meeting." Melania Trump remained silent.
On Wednesday, she announced she won’t be taking tea with Jill Biden.
“Her husband’s return to the Oval Office to commence the transition process is encouraging, and she wishes him great success,” Melania Trump's office said in a statement on X.
– Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
Joe Biden to emphasize 'peaceful transition' with Donald Trump meeting
Biden’s message during Wednesday’s meeting with Trump is simple, according to the White House: This is what a peaceful transfer of power looks like.
"He wants to show the American people that the system works, to trust the institutions, to trust that the norms do matter here,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “He is showing by leadership what a peaceful transition looks like."
The meeting comes four years after Trump refused to concede his 2020 election loss to Biden and instead lobbed wild and baseless conspiracy theories to try to overturn the election. Trump’s efforts culminated with the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters seeking to stop Congress from counting the electoral votes.
– Joey Garrison
Does Joe Biden still believe Donald Trump is a 'threat to democracy'?
Biden warned Americans repeatedly this year that Trump is a “threat to democracy” after Trump tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
The president will now get the chance to say whether he still believes that’s the case when he meets with Trump late Wednesday morning in the Oval Office.
That question is almost certain to be shouted among reporters who will be in the room briefly before the meeting gets underway.
While Biden was at his beach home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, over the weekend, he was posed the question and deflected. "I’m going to see him on Wednesday,” Biden said in response.
During a post-election speech last week from the White House Rose Garden, Biden told supporters: “We're going to be OK, but we need to stay engaged.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, when asked last week whether Biden still believes Trump is a threat to democracy, said: “What we are trying to do is respect what the American people decided. We’re not trying to create any division here.”
– Joey Garrison
Will Melania Trump take tea with Jill Biden?
A meeting between the president-elect and the current president isn’t the only post-election tradition in American politics. For more than a century, it has been customary for the first lady to host tea with her successor.
So will Melania Trump meet with First Lady Jill Biden on Wednesday?
Don’t count on it.
Several news outlets have reported the former and future first lady will skip Jill Biden’s tea invitation, bucking White House tradition for the second time in four years. The Trumps did not host the Bidens in the White House after Joe Biden won the presidency in 2020.
– Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy and Michael Collins
How to watch Trump's visit to Washington
USA TODAY will be live streaming coverage of Donald Trump's visit to Washington. Watch here.
– Kinsey Crowley
When is Donald Trump visiting the White House?
Trump will meet with Biden in the Oval Office on Wednesday at 11 a.m., according to a press statement from the White House.
In a call congratulating Trump on his win last week, Biden expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasized the importance of working to unite the country, the White House said.
– Kinsey Crowley
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden-Trump meeting: Live updates of White House transition talks