US President Joe Biden and president-elect Donald Trump will meet at the White House on Biden’s invitation, a White House spokesperson says.
Biden and Trump will gather for a traditional post-election meeting in the Oval Office at 11am on Wednesday, officials said.
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Trump will take office on January 20 after defeating current Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 presidential election.
Biden had initially sought re-election but dropped out of the race in July after a disastrous debate against Trump.
“At President Biden’s invitation, President Biden and President-elect Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
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.
But Trump, a Republican, did not host Biden, a Democrat, for a sit-down after the 2020 election when Trump lost his re-election bid.
The White House said Biden called Trump this past Wednesday to congratulate him and invite him to meet in the Oval Office.
In a speech on 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”.
– with AP
