In the Oval Office of the White House, on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, outgoing President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump met for a historical post-election sitting. Social media soon blew up upon reactions to the picture of the two leaders sharing one seat, with many taking their focus on the overt smile of Biden. Some even marveled that bright smile of the Biden with something much more juicy than this: the whisper mill went about the claim he had surreptitiously voted for Trump during the recently held elections.
Speculation and Conspiracy Theories Heat Online
While attaining his rarely seen, beaming smile during the meeting, online chatter about the events resonated wide; some think the upbeat mood of the 81-year-old president is connected with rumors that he secretly was aligned with Trump. There are theories of course, that Biden, in the parlance of many an observer, could not even win against his own re-election bid against Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama, thus needed to vote for Trump to save his skin.
It wasn’t without memes and speculation gone wild, but nothing is ever confirmed.
Common Interests between Trump and Biden
Yet to the web, President-elect Trump in a later phone interview with the New York Post has addressed the purpose of the meeting. “While it’s well known that he and I have strong political differences, we attempted to keep our conversation today centered around Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton,” he said in a phone interview with the New York Post. While calling the meeting productive, Trump noted that they had a “really good” conversation about their respective campaigns and challenges.
We really had a really good meeting, Trump said. He praised Biden for his campaign performance, saying that though he got out too early, he did a “very good job with respect to campaigning and everything else.”
A Long-Standing Tradition in U.S. Politics
This meeting was part of a tradition as old as the American political game-which dates back to 1829, to be more precise-the outgoing president meets the incoming president following a general election. This time, though, the meeting had more meaning because Biden did not call over Trump for such a ceremony after four years of his own electoral victory. Setting aside all the past differences-the Capitol insurrection of January 6, 2021, for example-both leaders seem to be looking more toward the future than dwelling on the past.
As Trump indicated, the meeting wasn’t only symbolic; it also was rather productive because they had the chance to exchange ideas on a number of global issues, with the ongoing wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Both the leaders being antipodes on the political spectrum could discuss areas in which they had previously not agreed with each other, but expressed that about Trump was “very gracious” about Biden’s knowledge of these areas.
Hassle-Free Transition and High Mutual Respect
In the meeting, Trump would reportedly assure the public that things were going on “very, very smoothly” regarding the transition process and that the relationship between the White House teams of both parties was “very, very good.” Trump said Biden was candid about his thoughts on current international issues and appreciated the tone.
It was at a lighter moment when Trump said that Biden told him that he would come and attend his inauguration in January 2025, an apparent nod of affirmation despite the rivalry.
Looking ahead: More meetings expected
Before leaving the White House for good, the two leaders would likely meet again before Trump’s formal inauguration, which is scheduled to take place on January 20, 2025. Reiterating his eagerness to move back into the Oval Office, Trump said the transfer process is taking place “very smoothly,” as both sides are cooperating with one another.
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