


President-elect Donald Trump made a victor’s return to Washington, visiting the White House for a nearly two-hour meeting with President Joe Biden and committing to a straightforward transition of power.
Sitting in the Oval Office, in front of a strong fire in the fireplace, the former rivals shook hands before Biden called Trump “Mr. President-elect and former president” and then settled simply on “Donald.”
“Congratulations,” the Democrat told the Republican Wednesday. “I look forward to having, like they said, a smooth transition. Welcome. Welcome back.”
Trump replied, “Thank you very much,” saying that “politics is tough. And it’s, in many cases, not a very nice world. But it is a nice world today, and I appreciate it very much.”
Except for the opening moments, the meeting was private, with Biden and Trump joined by their chiefs of staff.