WASHINGTON — President Biden will host President-elect Trump for a traditional postelection meeting in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House said Saturday.
Such a meeting is customary between the outgoing president and the incoming president, and is meant partly to mark the start of a peaceful transfer of power under America’s democracy.
But Trump, a Republican, did not host Biden, a Democrat, for a sit-down after the 2020 election, when Trump lost his reelection bid.
Trump disputed Biden’s win and tried to overturn the results. On Jan. 6, 2021, when lawmakers had gathered at the U.S. Capitol to certify Biden’s win, a mob of Trump supporters breached the building after the outgoing president encouraged them to march there, telling them,” If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Trump sought the presidency four years after his loss, continuing to claim falsely that the 2020 election was stolen and floating new false allegations of cheating in the 2024 election before the count went his way.
He defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s vote, making him the first former president to return to power since Grover Cleveland regained the White House in the 1892 election.
The White House said Biden called Trump onWednesday to congratulate him and invite him to meet in the Oval Office.
In a speech Thursday, Biden said he had assured Trump “that I would direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That’s what the American people deserve.”
Their meeting is set for 11 a.m.
Superville writes for the Associated Press. Los Angeles Times staff contributed to this report.