Trump and Biden pledge smooth transfer of power

Washington — US president-elect Donald Trump and President Joe Biden met on Wednesday for the first time since Trump won back the White House last week and both promised a smooth transfer of power in January.

The two leaders sat side in the Oval Office in a peaceful scene that belied tensions between them. The meeting ended after roughly two hours, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said.

“It was a substantive meeting,” she said. “They discussed important national security and domestic policy issues facing the nation and the world.”

Biden said that support for Ukraine was in the US’s national security interest because a strong and stable Europe would keep America from being dragged into war, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters. Trump has pledged to end the Russia-Ukraine war quickly without explaining how.

Trump told the New York Post he and Biden “talked very much about the Middle East” during their conversation. “I wanted to know his views on where we are,” Trump said. “And he gave them to me, he was very gracious,” the Post quoted Trump as saying.

A Democrat, Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election but dropped out of the 2024 race in July after a disastrous debate with the Republican Trump. Vice-president Kamala Harris became the candidate but lost to Trump.

“We’re looking forward to having, like we said, a smooth transition, do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated, what you need,” Biden said. “Welcome, welcome back.”

“Politics is tough, and it’s many cases not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today, and I appreciate very much a transition that’s so smooth it’ll be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that, Joe,” said Trump, who takes over on January 20.

The traditional courtesy of welcoming the president-elect into the Oval Office is one that Trump did not extend when Biden won in 2020.

It was a sharp contrast to the criticism the two men have hurled at each other for years. Their respective teams hold vastly different positions on policies from climate change to Russia to trade.

During the meeting, Biden pushed his priorities for Congress’s lame-duck session, including funding the government and providing additional funds for disaster relief, Jean-Pierre said. Biden’s chief of staff Jeff Zients and Trump’s, Susie Wiles, joined the meeting.

“He believes in the norms, he believes in our institution, he believes in the peaceful transfer of power,” the White House spokesperson said of Biden’s decision to invite Trump.

Biden, 81, has portrayed Trump as a threat to democracy, while Trump, 78, has portrayed Biden as incompetent. Trump made false claims of widespread fraud after losing the 2020 election to Biden.

Trump celebrated his victory earlier in the day with Republicans in the House of Representatives who have a good chance of maintaining control of the chamber as November 5 election results trickle in.

“Isn’t it nice to win? It’s nice to win. It’s always nice to win,” Trump said. “The House did very well.”

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk joined Trump at the meeting with Republican legislators. Trump on Tuesday named Musk to a role co-leading a newly created department of government efficiency, handing even more influence to the world’s richest man who donated millions of dollars to help Trump get elected.

Trump confirmed on Wednesday he was nominating Republican senator Marco Rubio, a senior member of both the foreign relations and intelligence committees, to be secretary of state.

“He will be a strong advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a fearless warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said in a statement.

He chose Tulsi Gabbard, a 43-year-old former Democratic representative and critic of the Biden administration, as his director of national intelligence. Gabbard, who left the Democratic party in 2022, will take over from Avril Haines as the top official in the US intelligence community in January.

Earlier, he announced Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and veteran as his defence secretary. Hegseth has expressed disdain for “woke” policies of Pentagon leaders, opposed women in combat roles and questioned whether a top US general was in his position because of his skin colour.

If confirmed by the US Senate, Hegseth could make good on Trump’s campaign promises to rid the US military of generals who he accuses of pursuing progressive policies.

In a rebuke to Trump, Senate Republicans elected John Thune to lead the chamber in 2025, opting for a well-regarded insider and shrugging off a public pressure campaign by supporters of Trump to pick a loyalist.

The South Dakota senator’s victory is a sign the Senate could retain some degree of independence from Trump next year, when Republicans will control the White House and both chambers of Congress. Republicans will hold at least 52 seats in the 100-seat Senate and were projected on Wednesday to retain a thin majority in the House.

At a news conference, Thune said he would aim to confirm Trump’s nominees quickly and work to help him cut spending and bolster border security.

“We are excited to reclaim the majority and begin to work with our colleagues in the House to enact President Trump’s agenda,” he said.

Thune said he would not lower the Senate’s traditional 60-vote “filibuster” threshold needed to advance most legislation, which will require him to secure Democratic support much of the time.

Thune, 63, is seen as an even-tempered institutionalist and seasoned legislator who has close relationships with many of his fellow Republicans. He currently serves as the chamber’s number two Republican and will succeed 82-year-old Mitch McConnell, the longest serving party leader in Senate history.

He was first elected to the Senate in 2004. Thune prevailed over senator John Cornyn of Texas, another long-serving institutionalist, by a 29-24 vote. Rick Scott of Florida, a close ally of Trump who was backed by influential outsiders like Musk and conservative commentator Sean Hannity, was eliminated in a first round of voting. 

Some of Trump’s loudest supporters had expressed concern that Thune and Cornyn, who had both worked closely with McConnell, might not be reliable governing partners. Both have served for two decades, delivered major legislation and helped elected other Republicans.

Reuters