After Joe Biden pledged for a ‘peaceful, orderly’ transition of power to President-elect Donald Trump, a meeting between Biden and Trump is scheduled for the White House on Wednesday, November 13.
The two will meet at 11:00 a.m. ET (1600 GMT) in the Oval Office, on the invitation given by Biden. This is after Trump’s comfortable win in the election on November 5, 2024, against Vice President Kamala Harris.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced in a statement Saturday that the meeting will be about transition.
A meet between the incoming and outgoing presidents is a tradition long deep-rooted in American democracy, seeking to lay groundwork for a peaceful transfer of power.
This is also a historical moment because after having served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021, Trump is now poised to be only the second U.S. leader, after Grover Cleveland, to hold two non-consecutive terms.
President Joe Biden, who quit his re-election bid in July due to health reasons, had emphasized earlier that a peaceful transition was needed: “I have directed my administration to ensure a peaceful and orderly transfer of power, as the American people deserve.” The victory of an incumbent president who was under legal challenge and once impeached speaks about great splits grass root levels for this country, where at least, according to exit polls, people’s foremost concerns were the economy and inflation.
The formal beginning of Trump’s second term will began on January 2025.
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