Trump made a victor’s return to Washington, meeting with House Republicans earlier Wednesday who appear poised to keep their majority and complete GOP control of Congress.
As he works swiftly to establish his new government, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump made a triumphant return to Washington on Wednesday, stopping by the White House for a meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office and promising a seamless handover of power.
Reporters watched as the adversaries shook hands in the Oval Office and seated in front of a roaring fire. Before deciding on “Donald,” Biden referred to Trump as “Mr. President-elect and former president.”
The Democrat congratulated the Republican. “I’m hoping for a seamless transition, as they said,” Biden stated. “Hello. Welcome back.
“Thank you very much,” Trump said in response, adding that “politics is tough.” And the world isn’t always a pleasant one. However, I am grateful for the pleasant world we live in today.
Neither one responded to the media’s yelled inquiries. Biden once glanced at Trump, who cocked his head to the side and shrugged slightly but said nothing. For the private meeting, which is a customary element of the peaceful transfer of power but which Trump refused to take part in four years ago after losing to Biden, each was accompanied by his chief of staff.
When Trump arrived at the White House, First Lady Jill Biden welcomed him and handed him a handwritten note of congratulations for his wife, Melania Trump, who was unable to travel to Washington. The first lady’s staff was also prepared to help with the transition, according to the letter.
Trump informed supporters in a fundraising email that he “is inside the White House right now conducting a very important meeting” when he was meeting with Biden.
Trump had taken an early flight from Florida to meet with House Republicans with entrepreneur Elon Musk. As Trump gets ready for a possible unified Republican administration and power sweep, that conversation takes place.
“It’s nice to win,” Trump said to the Republican legislators upon his return to Washington for the first time since his election triumph.
In what would be, within the bounds of the constitution, his final presidential election, he was given a standing ovation by members of the House Republican Party, many of whom recorded Trump on their cellphones as he ran through his party’s triumphs up and down the ballot.
To the legislators’ laughter, Trump remarked, “I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say he’s good we’ve got to figure something else.”
The former president, who left Washington in January 2021 as a reduced and politically defeated leader following the attack on the Capitol, is making a dramatic comeback to the seat of American government. With what he and his Republican supporters perceive as a mandate for governing, he is currently getting ready to return to power.
Prior to Trump’s visit, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declared, “He is the comeback king.” “We are really indebted to him.”
The former president’s incredible political comeback was brought into sharp focus by the private discussions, which included his meeting with Biden. He has the opportunity to influence the outcome of the Republican congressional leadership elections, which coincide with his reappearance.
According to someone familiar with the comments who is not authorized to talk publicly about the private discussion, Trump supported Johnson’s return to the speaker’s office, stating the president-elect is with Johnson all the way.
Musk’s return to Washington follows the Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s extensive stay at Trump’s Florida club, Mar-a-Lago, where he has been taking part in talks as the new Trump government gets ready to move out of Biden’s.
Musk has been appointed by Trump to serve as an advisor on government efficiency in his new administration. After Susie Wiles, Trump’s incoming chief of staff and campaign manager, Musk is now seen by some close to Trump and his team as the second most powerful person in his inner circle.
Trump described his meeting with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office following his election victory in 2016 as “a great honor.” However, he quickly returned to disparaging Obama, accusing him of wiretapping him throughout the 2016 campaign without providing any proof.
Trump denied losing the election to Biden four years later, and he has since persisted in fabricating claims of widespread voter fraud that never happened. He departed Washington without going to Biden’s inauguration and failed to extend an invitation to the White House to Biden, who was then the president-elect. This was the first time it had occurred since Andrew Johnson did not attend the swearing-in ceremony for Ulysses S. Grant 155 years ago.
Biden maintains that he would use every effort to ensure a seamless transition to the next Trump administration. This is the case even though he has been running for reelection for almost a year and has criticized Trump as a danger to democracy and the country’s fundamental principles. In July, Biden announced his intention to withdraw from the campaign and supported Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place.
Traditionally, the first lady hosts her successor upstairs in the house while the departing and incoming presidents meet in the West Wing. “Her husband’s return to the Oval Office to commence the transition process is encouraging, and she wishes him great success,” her office stated in a statement, despite Melania Trump’s absence.
Even some prominent Republicans had started criticizing Trump’s involvement in inciting a mob of his followers who had carried out the violent attack on the Capitol just weeks prior in an attempt to halt the certification of Biden’s election victory when he departed Washington in 2021.
However, Trump’s victory in last week’s election completes a political comeback, making him the GOP’s undisputed leader once more.
However, Trump has made several trips back to the Capitol region since the conclusion of his first term, including Wednesday’s visit. Over the summer, Congressional Republicans received Trump, who was once again establishing his power inside the party.
Republicans are on the verge of regaining control of the House after wresting the Senate majority from Democrats in last week’s election. They are now holding their own internal leadership elections on Wednesday. As he fought to maintain his majority and his own position with the gavel, Johnson has become more and more close to Trump.
Uncertainty surrounds Trump’s potential visit to the Senate, which is embroiled in a more contentious closed-door leadership contest to succeed departing GOP Leader Mitch McConnell.
Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, a longshot candidate who was running against two other senior Republicans, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, is being pressured by Trump’s supporters to cast their votes for him.