Trump will meet with Biden today

November 13, 2024 – WASHINGTON D.C. – President-elect Donald J. Trump (R) will meet with President Joseph R. Biden in the White House today. The pair of President will discuss the transition of power as President Trump prepares his return to Pennsylvania Avenue.

"We want this to go well," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre added. "We want this to be a process that gets the job done."

"They will go through the top issues - both domestic and foreign policy issues - including what is happening in Europe and Asia and the Middle East," Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CBS of Wednesday's meeting. "And the president will have the chance to explain to President Trump how he sees things ... and talk to President Trump about how President Trump is thinking about taking on these issues when he takes office."

One issue that is expected to come up is Ukraine. Biden made unlimited support for Ukraine in their war with Russia the linchpin of his foreign policy in the aftermath of the U.S.'s humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan. Under Biden, the U.S. has plowed an estimated $200 billion to support Ukraine. Trump has been openly skeptical of Biden's Ukraine policy.

Incoming First Lady Melania Trump has declined First Lady Jill Biden's invitation to meet.

The two men have not met since June – when Trump humiliated an often confused and rambling Biden in a nationally televised debate in June when it appeared that Biden would once again be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

In the aftermath of his terrible debate performance, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) led a revolt of the Democratic elites to force Biden to withdraw from the race of face removal under the 25th Amendment. Biden then endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. The Democratic Party accepted Biden's pick of Harris at their August convention where no prominent Democrat challenged Harris. Despite being outspent by hundreds of millions of dollars, Trump easily bested Harris on November 5 – taking all five of the swing states (Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Georgia) that he lost to Biden in 2020. Trump also held North Carolina – a state he narrowly won in 2020 and Nevada which has not voted Republican since 2004.

In 2020, then former Vice President Joe Biden narrowly defeated incumbent President Trump. Rather than meekly accepting defeat, a defiant Trump disputed the election results.

Trump at that time refused to invite Biden to the White House for the traditional transfer of power meeting.

Trump instead made accusations about alleged voter fraud in the swing states. This effort to delegitimize the 2020 election results culminated in the Capitol riots that occurred on Jan. 6, 2021 when Trump supporters stormed the Capital Building while Congress was considering the electoral college results. Dozens of Capital protestors were subsequently prosecuted by Biden's Justice Department – many (including some Alabamians) are presently serving lengthy prison sentences.

Under Pelosi's leadership, the House of Representatives impeached Trump over the Jan. 6 riots. The Biden DOJ appointed Jack Smith as a special counsel. Smith brought criminal charges against Trump for both Jan. 6 and for mishandling classified documents. Biden had hoped that those prosecutions would prevent Trump from being able to return. Instead he fought the charges in court as well as in the court of public opinion. The Biden administration's efforts to use the courts to persecute Trump only increased his popularity.

Trump will also meet with Congressional leaders on Wednesday. The GOP was able to defend their narrow majority in the House of Representatives and pick up four seats in the Senate. This is the first time that Republicans have controlled the White House, Senate, and House all at the same time since 2017.

Trump is not expected to meet with Harris.

Biden and Harris were both at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

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