Donald Trump made a victor's return to Washington on Wednesday, November 13, visiting the White House for an Oval Office meeting with Democratic President Joe Biden and committing to a smooth transition of power as the Republican president-elect moves quickly to build out his new administration.
'Donald, congratulations,' Biden said, greeting Trump with a handshake and adding that he looked 'forward to a smooth transition.' Trump made a similar pledge and expressed thanks to Biden for the invitation – one that Trump himself had not extended to Biden after losing the 2020 election. 'Thank you very much," Trump said. "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.'
Trump, flying from Florida, arrived at a military base near the Capitol, meeting up with billionaire Elon Musk for a morning session with House Republicans as Trump prepares for a potentially unified Republican government and sweep of power.
Back in Washington for the first time since his election victory, Trump told the GOP lawmakers, 'It's nice to win.' Trump received a standing ovation from House Republicans, many of whom took cellphone videos of him as he ran through their party's victories up and down the ballot, in what would be, under the constitutional limits, his final presidential election. 'I suspect I won't be running again unless you say he's good we got to figure something else,' Trump said to laughter from the lawmakers.
It's a stunning return to the US seat of government for the former president, who departed nearly four years ago a diminished, politically defeated leader after the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol but is preparing to come back to power with what he and his GOP allies see as a mandate for governance.