On Wednesday, President Biden will welcome President-Elect Donald J. Trump to the White House, continuing a presidential custom that Mr. Trump did not extend to his former adversary four years ago after Mr. Biden's victory.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a brief statement that Mr. Biden had asked Mr. Trump to join him in the Oval Office, but she did not elaborate on the nature of the meeting.
The image of Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump together in the White House is probably going to be just as eye-catching as the one of Mr. Trump and former President Barack Obama in 2016, following Mr. Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton to become the president.
Following the meeting, Mr. Obama informed reporters that he had sent Mr. Trump his best wishes.
Most importantly, Mr. Obama stated, "I want to stress to you, Mr. President-elect, that we will now want to do everything in our power to help you succeed — because if you succeed, then the country succeeds."
In 2020, following a fiercely polarizing election, Mr. Biden defeated Mr. Trump. The two men did not meet in the White House, and Mr. Trump refused to accept his defeat. The nation was still experiencing the effects of the Covid pandemic at that time.
