Welcoming Trump At The White House, President Biden: We Hope For A Good Transition, Welcome Back

President Biden's meeting with Donald Trump. (Twitter/@POTUS)

JAKARTA - President Joe Biden welcomed the arrival of President-elect Donald Trump at the White House, Washington DC on Wednesday, pledging a good transition of government.

The two American leaders sat side by side in the halt in the Oval Room, a peaceful atmosphere that covered tensions between them.

Incumbent President Biden (Democratic Politician) defeated Trump in the 2020 election. Planning to run again for the 2024 contest, Biden withdrew from the 2024 election in July after a failed debate with Trump from the Republican Party. Vice President Kamala Harris later replaced him, despite losing to Trump in last week's election.

"We hope, as we said, a smooth transition, doing everything we can to ensure you are accommodated, what you need," President Biden said.

"Welcome, welcome back," he added.

Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the meeting lasted about two hours.

"It was a substantive meeting," Jean-Pierre told reporters.

"They discussed issues of national security and important domestic policies faced by the state and the world," he added.

The traditional politeness of welcoming the elected president to the Oval Room is something Trump did not when Biden won in 2020.

The meeting was in stark contrast to criticisms the two men had made over the years. Their teams hold very different positions in various policies, from climate change to Russia to trade.

During the meeting, President Biden stressed his priority for Congressional sessions that were no longer taking place, including funding the government and providing additional funding for disaster relief, Jean-Pierre said.

Biden's chief of staff, Jeff Zients, and Trump's chief of staff, wary Wiles, joined the meeting.

"He believes in norms, he believes in our institution, he believes in peaceful transfer of power," a White House spokesman said of Biden's decision to invite Trump.

First Lady Jill Biden joined President Biden in welcoming Trump on his arrival. The White House said he gave Trump a handwritten greeting letter to his wife, Melania Trump, and "expressed his team's readiness to help with the transition."

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